# CVE-2026-12526: Missing authorization in Advanced Custom Fields: Extended

> Unauthenticated attackers can take over administrator accounts if the plugin's front-end form is configured to update other users.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 2 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 2 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qq65-x2qx-772f

## What is CVE-2026-12526?

CVE-2026-12526 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown Advanced Custom Fields: Extended, published on 2 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Advanced Custom Fields: Extended WordPress plugin before 0.9.2.7 does not verify that the requester is authorized to edit the targeted user account in the update-user action of its front-end Forms module; it only checks a capability when the submitted role is administrator or super_admin. On a site that exposes a publicly reachable front-end form whose user-update action targets an existing administrator (a fixed target, or one mapped to a visitor-submitted field) and maps the password to a visitor-submitted field, an unauthenticated visitor can overwrite that administrator's password and take over the account. The default target is the submitting user, so exploitation depends on the form being configured to target another account.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-12526?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-12526?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-12526 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-12526 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-12526 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-12526 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-12526 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown Advanced Custom Fields: Extended, published on 2 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-12526 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Unknown Advanced Custom Fields: Extended. 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-2026-12526/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12526/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-12526
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-12526
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-12526

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12526/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.