Subscriber-to-administrator escalation via homoglyph-bypassed usermeta allowlist
Published Aug 31, 2023 · Updated Apr 8, 2026
Privilege escalation in HappyMonster WP Project Manager 2.6.4 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to grant themselves administrator access. The save_users_map_name function uses explode and in_array as a user-meta allowlist, but a crafted homoglyph bypasses that check and becomes an underscore when wp_capabilities is stored. Subscriber-level access to the WordPress site is sufficient, and successful exploitation grants control of administrative functions and site data.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in HappyMonster WP Project Manager 2.6.4 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to grant themselves administrator access. The save_users_map_name function uses explode and in_array as a user-meta allowlist, but a crafted homoglyph bypasses that check and becomes an underscore when wp_capabilities is stored. Subscriber-level access to the WordPress site is sufficient, and successful exploitation grants control of administrative functions and site data.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-3636
- Published
- Aug 31, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 8, 2026
- Vendor
- HappyMonster
- Product
- WP Project Manager
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1098
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 31, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 8, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <=2.6.4
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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