Pods <= 3.3.9 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via Authorization Bypass to Admin Methods via 'pods_admin' AJAX Router

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What is CVE-2026-19598?

CVE-2026-19598 is a vulnerability classified as Incorrect Authorization, affecting Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields (affected versions: 2.8 – ≤ 2.8.23.3, 2.9 – ≤ 2.9.19.3, and other affected versions). This vulnerability is rated Critical, with a CVSS score of 9.8. Current sources do not report this vulnerability as exploited.

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Overview

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The Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Authorization Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.9. The vulnerability exists because the pods_admin AJAX router funnels every access check — including the method allowlist, nonce verification, login enforcement, and capability gate — through pods_error(), which under the JSON meta-box-loader compatibility path only writes failures to the PHP error log and returns false instead of terminating the request, rendering all guards ineffective. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to escalate their privileges to Administrator or overwrite the password of any user account, including the site owner's, enabling complete site takeover, or perform another administrator action.

Affected products and scope

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Technical details

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Detection

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Sources (7)
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