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JSON Options - Privilege Escalation (CVE-2026-75860)

CVE-2026-75860

Vulnerability CVE-2026-75860 PLUGIN json-options CRITICAL

The JSON Options WordPress plugin through 0.0.4 does not have any capability check or nonce verification on one of its actions, which runs on every request and is available to unauthenticated users, allowing them to update arbitrary WordPress options. This can be leveraged to enable user registration and set the default role to administrator, leading to privilege escalation and full site takeover.

CVE-2026-75860

CRITICAL CVSS 9.8 Published 2026-08-20 Updated 2026-08-26
AI Risk Critical (96/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P1 Immediate
Severity Band CRITICAL
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Critical (96/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2026-08-20 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-08-26 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-08-21 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 49 days ago

AI enriched 49 days ago (2026-08-21 20:37 UTC)

Technical Summary

The JSON Options WordPress plugin through 0.0.4 does not have any capability check or nonce verification on one of its actions, which runs on every request and is available to unauthenticated users, allowing them to update arbitrary WordPress options. This can be leveraged to enable user registration and set the default role to administrator, leading to privilege escalation and full site takeover.

Potential Impact

Severity is CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on low-bar exploit prerequisites.

Primary risk drivers: low-bar exploit prerequisites

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 96/100 (Critical, High) with priority P1 Immediate. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

JSON Options PLUGIN · json-options Affected range not specified Fixed version not specified

Related Vulnerabilities

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No related vulnerability records were found yet for this context.

References

What to do about this

Patch immediately Serious, and reachable without meaningful privilege.

Fix it

Update JSON Options to the latest available version.

Where the vendor has not published a fix yet, disable the plugin until they do.

Cannot update today? Unauthorised administrator detection in Hack Halt ProSecure blocks this class of attack before WordPress processes the request.

Alert when a new administrator appears or a role is escalated. Creating a hidden admin is the most common persistence step after a WordPress compromise.

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Not sure if you are affected?

Scan your site to see whether it runs JSON Options, and at which version.

Free, no installation, no account. It reads what your site already publishes, then tells you which plugins carry known vulnerabilities and what to do about each one.

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Am I affected by this vulnerability?

You are affected if your site runs JSON Options. No account is needed to exploit this, so a public site is reachable by anyone.

How do I fix it?

Update JSON Options to the latest available version. Where the vendor has not yet published a fix, remove or disable the plugin until they do. Until you can update, Unauthorised administrator detection in Hack Halt ProSecure contains this class of attack at the request layer.

What can an attacker actually do?

This is a Privilege Escalation flaw. An attacker who exploits it can raise a low-privilege account, or none at all, to administrator.

WordPress security that blocks attacks before they land.

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