CVE-2026-16594

Directory Kit <= 1.5.4 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Plugin Settings and API Key Disclosure

2026-08-03 00:00
Yaswanth Reddy Sunkara

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.5.5
Affected Plugin
WP Directory Kit
Affected Version
<= 1.5.4
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE
CVE-2026-16594
View all WP Directory Kit vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-16594 is a medium-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in the WP Directory Kit WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.5.4. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.5.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2026, reported by Yaswanth Reddy Sunkara.

Vulnerability Overview

The Directory Kit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in versions up to, and including, 1.5.4. This is due to missing allowlist validation on the user-controlled `page` parameter passed to the AJAX controller, allowing any authenticated user to route requests to privileged settings controllers. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to access plugin settings pages via the AJAX controller and disclose sensitive API keys stored in plugin configuration.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Reaching this weakness in WP Directory Kit <= 1.5.4 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Sensitive information exposure means data the application intended to keep internal is returned to a caller who should not be able to see it.

The disclosed data — credentials, tokens, customer records or internal paths — is usually worth more as material for a follow-up attack than as an end in itself. For WP Directory Kit the fix is 1.5.5: builds <= 1.5.4 are affected, anything from 1.5.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.5.5, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The fix is the thing that ends this: WP Directory Kit 1.5.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16594https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/03d3f47d-4e17-46a9-a937-9222d3ebcde5https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16594

Related records

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