AI Engine 2.8.0 - 2.8.3 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Insufficient Authorization to Privilege Escalation via MCP
The AI Engine plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data and loss of data due to a missing capability check on the 'Meow_MWAI_Labs_MCP::can_access_mcp' function in versions 2.8.0 to 2.8.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to have full access to the MCP and run various commands like 'wp_create_user', 'wp_update_user' and 'wp_update_option', which can be used for privilege escalation, and 'wp_update_post', 'wp_delete_post', 'wp_update_comment' and 'wp_delete_comment', which can be used to edit and delete posts and comments.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for help- Published
- Jun 19, 2025
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.7% · 50th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-863
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Report tools
Action score
35
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.7%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · Wordfence
- 8.8
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| meowapps | ai engine | cpe:2.3:a:meowapps:ai_engine |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- meowapps ai engine2.8.0 and later · before 2.8.4
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Wordfence). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
tigroumeow AI Engine
- 2.8.0 and later · up to and including 2.8.3affected · semver
Same product
meowapps: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2023-51409WordPress AI Engine plugin <= 1.9.98 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload vulnerability58Plan
- CVE-2025-6238AI Engine 2.8.4 - Insecure OAuth Implementation32Monitor
- CVE-2024-10499AI-Engine < 2.6.5 - Admin+ SQLi28Monitor
- CVE-2024-6451AI Engine < 2.5.1 - Admin+ RCE28Monitor
- CVE-2024-38791WordPress AI ENGINE plugin <= 2.4.7 - Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability28Monitor
- CVE-2024-34440WordPress AI Engine plugin <= 2.2.63 - Auth. Arbitrary File Upload vulnerability28Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- István MártonPatchstack Bug Bounty Programfinder
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-863 · Incorrect AuthorizationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ai-engine/tags/2.8.1/labs/mcp.php#L43
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3313554/ai-engine#file21
- www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/0e7654a1-0020-4bf1-86be-bdb238a9fe0d?source=cve
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.