CVE-2026-15992
The WP Password Policy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to and including 3.7.1.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.27%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
The WP Password Policy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to and including 3.7.1. This is due to missing authorization checks and nonce verification in the `get_user()` function of the `Module_Password_Hint` class, which unconditionally calls `WP_User::set_role()` with the attacker-supplied `role` parameter on any account resolved via `$_POST['user_login']`, without confirming the requesting user holds the capability to assign roles. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to escalate their own privileges to Administrator by submitting a crafted POST request — with `action` set to `createuser` and `role` set to `administrator` — to the password-reset form endpoint. The vulnerable code path is reachable via the `password_hint` filter hooked during the WordPress password-reset form render, meaning an attacker need only possess a valid password-reset cookie to reach the sink.
- CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 0.27% probability · 19th percentile
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-269
- Source
- security@wordfence.com
References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-requirements/tags/3.7.1/src/modules/password-hint/class-module-password-hint.php#L39
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-requirements/tags/3.7.1/src/modules/password-hint/class-module-password-hint.php#L54
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/4ad5ca1c-b8c3-42c0-8170-821ada826cbb?source=cve
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA. Refreshed daily.