CVE-2026-118193: GiveWP <= 4.19.1 - Authenticated (Custom+) Privilege Escalation to 'donor_default_user_role' Parameter
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 35/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.39% (FIRST EPSS).
- 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.
- No fixed version is recorded, but the references include a patch (commit or PR) link.
Low priority for now. See the fix and affected versions sections below.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
The GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.19.1 via the `donor_default_user_role` parameter. This is due to the `sanitize_option_donor_default_user_role()` function applying only a narrow literal check against the string `'administrator'` rather than enforcing the plugin's own `give_get_donor_safe_user_roles()` allowlist on save, and due to the `give_core_settings_import_callback()` AJAX handler writing imported JSON directly into the `give_settings` option via `update_option()` without invoking the sanitize filter at all. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with the GiveWP Manager role (holding the `manage_give_settings` capability) and above to configure donor registration to assign privileged WordPress roles — up to and including Administrator via the import path — to every new donor account created through the platform. Via the settings save path, the Administrator role is blocked but any other elevated role (Editor, Author, etc.) is accepted; via the Tools › Import JSON path, the sanitize filter is bypassed entirely, allowing the Administrator role itself to be stored and subsequently applied to all newly registered donor accounts.
- Published
- Nov 5, 2026
- Updated
- Nov 5, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.3% · 34th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-269
Report tools
Action score
35
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.3%
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.
Is GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform on your site?
WP Lens reads your site's plugin, theme and WordPress versions from the outside and matches them to known vulnerabilities. Works without an account.
Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
—
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.
stellarwp GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform
- up to and including 4.19.1affected · semver
Same product
stellarwp: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-97643GiveWP <= 4.17.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via givewp_campaign_grid Shortcode Attributes25Monitor
- CVE-2026-5510GiveWP <= 4.14.4 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcode Attributes25Monitor
- CVE-2026-14987GiveWP <= 4.16.3 - Authenticated (Give Worker+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'twitter_message' Sequoia Template Setting25Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-11981Jul 1, 2026 · GiveWP <= 4.15.3 - Cross-Site Request Forgery17Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-13246Jul 1, 2026 · GiveWP <= 4.16.0 - Authenticated (Author+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'block_id' Shortcode Attribute25Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-13704Jul 2, 2026 · GiveWP <= 4.16.1 - Authenticated (Give Worker+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Sequioa Form25Monitor
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.
- Wordfence PRISMfinder
Not on record for this CVE: variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.
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-269 · Improper Privilege ManagementCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-secondary
Root cause
To simplify setup, a service account is granted broad, cluster-wide permissions. The principle of least privilege is skipped during installation.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-269 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
kind: ClusterRole
rules:
- apiGroups: ["*"]
resources: ["*"]
verbs: ["*"]Fixed
kind: Role
metadata:
namespace: lodos-system
rules:
- apiGroups: ["apps"]
resources: ["deployments"]
verbs: ["get", "list", "update"]Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Change log (2)
- SSVC exploitation— → none
- Exploit maturity— → none
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (5 more)Show less
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/give/tags/4.19.0/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-advanced.php#L436
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/give/tags/4.19.0/includes/process-donation.php#L1200
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/give/tags/4.19.0/src/Donors/Actions/CreateUserFromDonor.php#L23
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3782355/give/trunk/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-advanced.php
- www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f2ab1544-2428-4c93-b973-8280ff7a2903?source=cve
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.