Subscriber-to-Administrator escalation via unchecked metadata update
Published Jul 11, 2026 · Updated Jul 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in Themeone WP Grid Builder 2.3.3 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to gain Administrator access. The update() handler for /wp-json/wpgb/v2/metadata accepts a crafted nested array and writes the caller-controlled wp_capabilities user-meta key without authorization or key validation. Subscriber-level access is sufficient to rewrite the caller's role metadata, granting full administrative control of the WordPress site.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Themeone WP Grid Builder 2.3.3 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to gain Administrator access. The update() handler for /wp-json/wpgb/v2/metadata accepts a crafted nested array and writes the caller-controlled wp_capabilities user-meta key without authorization or key validation. Subscriber-level access is sufficient to rewrite the caller's role metadata, granting full administrative control of the WordPress site.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-13756
- Published
- Jul 11, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 11, 2026
- Vendor
- Themeone
- Product
- WP Grid Builder
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1098
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 11, 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 <=2.3.3
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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