# CVE-2026-1993: Privilege escalation in ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin)

> Authenticated users with settings access can escalate privileges by modifying plugin settings to grant administrative access to all subscribers.

- **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:** 11 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 11 Mar 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qx8g-xvp8-5cmp

## What is CVE-2026-1993?

CVE-2026-1993 is a high-severity vulnerability in smub ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin), published on 11 Mar 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress plugin is vulnerable to Improper Privilege Management in versions 7.1.0 through 9.0.2. This is due to the `update_settings()` function accepting arbitrary plugin setting names without a whitelist of allowed settings. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with the `exactmetrics_save_settings` capability to modify any plugin setting, including the `save_settings` option that controls which user roles have access to plugin functionality. The admin intended to delegate configuration access to a trusted user, not enable that user to delegate access to everyone. By setting `save_settings` to include `subscriber`, an attacker can grant plugin administrative access to all subscribers on the site.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-1993?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-1993?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-1993 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-1993 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-1993 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-1993 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-1993 is a high-severity vulnerability in smub ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin), published on 11 Mar 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-2026-1993 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: smub ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin). 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-2026-1993/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-1993/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-1993
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-1993
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-1993

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-1993/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.