# CVE-2026-25035: WordPress Contest Gallery plugin <= 28.1.2.2 - Account Takeover vulnerability

> An authentication bypass in the Contest Gallery WordPress plugin allows attackers to take over user accounts.

- **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 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4f6x-h73m-pq6f

## What is CVE-2026-25035?

CVE-2026-25035 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Wasiliy Strecker / ContestGallery developer Contest Gallery, published on 25 Mar 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability in Wasiliy Strecker / ContestGallery developer Contest Gallery contest-gallery allows Authentication Abuse.This issue affects Contest Gallery: from n/a through <= 28.1.2.2.

Weakness: CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-25035?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-25035?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-25035 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-25035 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-25035 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-25035 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-25035 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Wasiliy Strecker / ContestGallery developer Contest Gallery, published on 25 Mar 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-2026-25035 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Wasiliy Strecker / ContestGallery developer Contest Gallery. 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-2026-25035/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25035/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-25035
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-25035
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-25035

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25035/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.