# CVE-2026-11616: Events Calendar for GeoDirectory <= 2.3.28 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation

> Authenticated subscribers can escalate privileges to Administrator by manipulating user meta data via an insecure AJAX handler in the Events Calendar for GeoDirectory plugin.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 9 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 9 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j857-hxgm-cvxf

## What is CVE-2026-11616?

CVE-2026-11616 is a high-severity vulnerability in stiofansisland Events Calendar for GeoDirectory, published on 9 Jun 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Events Calendar for GeoDirectory plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in versions up to and including 2.3.28. This is due to the ajax_ayi_action() handler  only applying strip_tags(esc_sql()) — with no allow-list — to the attacker-controlled $_POST['type'] and $_POST['postid'] values before forwarding them to update_ayi_data(), which calls update_user_meta($current_user->ID, $rsvp_args['type'], $posts). By passing type=wp_capabilities and postid=administrator, an attacker writes ['subscriber'=>true,'administrator'=>'administrator'] into their own wp_capabilities user meta; WP_User::get_role_caps() then treats the 'administrator' array key as an active role on the next request. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to elevate their privileges to Administrator.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-11616?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-11616?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-11616 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-11616 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-11616 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-11616 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-11616 is a high-severity vulnerability in stiofansisland Events Calendar for GeoDirectory, published on 9 Jun 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-11616 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: stiofansisland Events Calendar for GeoDirectory. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11616/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11616/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-11616
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-11616
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-11616

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11616/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.