# CVE-2026-14281: Automation Web Platform <= 4.8.6 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via 'wawp_custom_fields' Parameter

> Unauthenticated attackers can escalate privileges to administrator by injecting custom fields during registration, bypassing OTP verification.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-h3w5-2jvm-gf7p

## What is CVE-2026-14281?

CVE-2026-14281 is a critical vulnerability in 101gen Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code, published on 25 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.8.6. This is due to missing permission enforcement on the publicly accessible REST route `POST /wp-json/wawp/v1/signup/<op>` and the absence of a key allowlist in the `finish_registration_logic` function, which copies the attacker-controlled `wawp_custom_fields` parameter directly into `update_user_meta()` — allowing sensitive meta keys such as `wp_capabilities` and `wp_user_level` to be set by the caller. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register a new account with the administrator role and gain full administrative access to the site. When OTP verification is enabled at signup, the OTP session token (`otp_transient`) is returned in plaintext in the HTTP response body, and the `handle_magic_link_request()` handler marks that token as verified on any unauthenticated GET request containing it without ever checking the OTP code value — making the OTP step trivially bypassable with no inbox or SMS access required.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-14281?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-14281?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-14281 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-14281 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-14281 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Unauthenticated privilege escalation in WordPress WAWP (Automation Web Platform) ≤ 4.8.6 via public REST signup and unsanitized wawp_custom_fields → admin. Python check/exploit PoC (PoCbit). (github_poc): https://github.com/murrez/CVE-2026-14281
- CVE-2026-14281 (github_poc): https://github.com/langz337/CVE-2026-14281
- A Windows-friendly, non-destructive Python checker for detecting WordPress installations potentially affected by CVE-2026-14281. (github_poc): https://github.com/abatsakidis/CVE-2026-14281-check

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-14281 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-14281 is a critical vulnerability in 101gen Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code, published on 25 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-2026-14281 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: 101gen Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code. 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-2026-14281/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-14281/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-14281
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-14281
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-14281

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-14281/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.