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CVE-2026-16149: Security Hardener

Severity

8.8 (HIGH)

Vendor

MARC4

Affected versions

0 through 2.4.4

Fixed version

unknown

Patch status

Unknown

Published

2026-08-23T00:16:50.233

Modified

2026-08-23T00:16:50.233

Why it matters

This matters because the affected product may be exposed on public websites. A vulnerable plugin can create a direct path to site compromise, malicious code deployment, or data theft.

Recommended admin actions

• Review and patch based on exposure, asset criticality, and business impact.
• Check whether the affected WordPress plugin or theme is installed.
• Update, disable, or remove the affected component if present.
• Review logs for suspicious activity related to the affected application or component.

Technical summary

The Security Hardener plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.4. The vulnerability exists because the plugin's user-enumeration protection, which is enabled by default, hooks the rest_endpoints filter via secure_user_endpoints() and overwrites every registered handler's permission_callback on both the /wp/v2/users and /wp/v2/users/(?P[\d]+) routes — including POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE handlers — with a bare closure that returns only is_user_logged_in(), completely stripping WordPress Core's original capability checks such as create_users, promote_user, edit_users, and delete_users that WP_REST_Users_Controller normally enforces. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to create new Administrator accounts by sending POST request to /wp/v2/users with administrator role, or to reset an existing Administrator's password by issuing a PUT/POST request to /wp/v2/users/. Because the block_user_enum option defaults to enabled, no special plugin configuration is required — the overwrite is active on every request as soon as the plugin is installed.

View the official NVD record for CVE-2026-16149

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