# CVE-2026-16259: Uix UserCenter <= 1.0.3 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation

> Unauthenticated attackers can forge tokens to overwrite administrator credentials and take over accounts in the Uix UserCenter WordPress plugin.

- **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:** 29 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 30 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-p38m-pp69-pr2w

## What is CVE-2026-16259?

CVE-2026-16259 is a critical vulnerability in Unknown Uix UserCenter, published on 29 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Uix UserCenter WordPress plugin through 1.0.3 does not verify that the account being modified through an unauthenticated profile-update action belongs to the requester, and it authenticates that action with a token whose signing key is hardcoded and identical across every install, allowing unauthenticated attackers to forge a token for any user, overwrite an administrator's email and password, and take over the account.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16259?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-16259?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16259 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-16259 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16259 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16259 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16259 is a critical vulnerability in Unknown Uix UserCenter, published on 29 Aug 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-2026-16259 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Unknown Uix UserCenter. 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-2026-16259/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16259/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16259
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16259
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16259

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16259/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.