CVE-2026-22348
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a missing authorization vulnerability in the Civic Cookie Control WordPress plugin that allows attackers to bypass access controls. It affects WordPress sites using the Civic Cookie Control plugin version 1.53 and earlier. The vulnerability could enable unauthorized access to administrative functions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Civic Cookie Control WordPress Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could gain administrative privileges, modify plugin settings, inject malicious code, or compromise the entire WordPress site.
Likely Case
Attackers could modify cookie consent settings, potentially violating privacy regulations or altering site functionality.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and authentication requirements, the vulnerability would be blocked at the authorization layer.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires some level of access but bypasses authorization checks for specific functions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: >1.53
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find Civic Cookie Control
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. If no update available, deactivate and remove the plugin
6. Install the latest version from WordPress repository
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the Civic Cookie Control plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate civic-cookie-control-8
Restrict Access
linuxImplement IP-based restrictions to WordPress admin areas
# Add to .htaccess for Apache:
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
# Add to nginx config:
location /wp-admin/ {
allow 192.168.1.0/24;
allow 10.0.0.0/8;
deny all;
}
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block unauthorized access to plugin endpoints
- Enable WordPress security plugins that monitor for unauthorized access attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Civic Cookie Control version. If version is 1.53 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get civic-cookie-control-8 --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is greater than 1.53 in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized access attempts to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with civic-cookie-control actions
- Multiple failed authorization attempts from same IP
Network Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin endpoints from unauthorized IPs
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("civic-cookie-control" OR "admin-ajax.php") AND status=200 AND user="unauthenticated"