Flamingo - Broken Access Control (CVE-2026-12853)
CVE-2026-12853
The Flamingo plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.2. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to enumerate taxonomy terms including channel names derived from Contact Form 7 form titles that may reveal internal form purposes, department names, or workflow identifiers, as well as submission counts per channel and contact tag names. The plugin's flamingo_map_meta_cap() filter restricts access to Flamingo's admin UI but does not extend to WordPress core APIs such as XML-RPC wp.getTerms and admin-ajax ajax-tag-search.
CVE-2026-12853
MEDIUM
CVSS 5.4
Published 2026-09-07
Updated 2026-09-08
AI Risk Moderate (47/100)
Active Exploit: No strong signal
Published Exploit: No public exploit references
Priority: P4 Planned
Severity Band
MEDIUM
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Affected Components
1
Reference Links
10
AI Risk Engine
Moderate (47/100)
Exploitability
Low
Active Exploitation
No strong signal
Published Exploit Status
No public exploit references
AI Context
Machine-generated threat intelligence
AI
Updated 32 days ago
AI enriched 32 days ago (2026-09-08 01:20 UTC)
Technical Summary
The Flamingo plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.2. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to enumerate taxonomy terms including channel names derived from Contact Form 7 form titles that may reveal internal form purposes, department names, or workflow identifiers, as well as submission counts per channel…
Potential Impact
Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 5.4). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.
Exploitability Assessment
Exploitability is assessed as Low based on severity and technical exposure profile.
Primary risk drivers: severity and technical exposure profile
Mitigation Recommendations
Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.
Detection & Monitoring
Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.
Business Impact Lens
AI risk score 47/100 (Moderate, Low) with priority P4 Planned. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.
