CVE-2026-5130
HIGHDescription
The Debugger & Troubleshooter plugin for WordPress was vulnerable to Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation in versions up to and including 1.3.2. This was due to the plugin accepting the wp_debug_troubleshoot_simulate_user cookie value directly as a user ID without any cryptographic validation or authorization checks. The cookie value was used to override the determine_current_user filter, which allowed unauthenticated attackers to impersonate any user by simply setting the cookie to their target user ID. This made it possible for unauthenticated attackers to gain administrator-level access and perform any privileged actions including creating new administrator accounts, modifying site content, installing plugins, or taking complete control of the WordPress site. The vulnerability was fixed in version 1.4.0 by implementing a cryptographic token-based validation system where only administrators can initiate user simulation, and the cookie contains a random 64-character token that must be validated against database-stored mappings rather than accepting arbitrary user IDs.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 34% of all known CVEs.
References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/debugger-troubleshooter/tags/1.3.2/debug-troubleshooter.php#L827
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/debugger-troubleshooter/tags/1.3.2/debug-troubleshooter.php#L849
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3486202/debugger-troubleshooter/trunk/debug-troubleshooter.php
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3e037931-870f-45eb-973c-0276911682ad?source=cve
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Start freeThis product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-04-24.