# CVE-2026-80338: CMB2 < 2.13.0 - Subscriber+ Arbitrary Option Corruption via oEmbed Handler

> Subscribers can corrupt WordPress options via an unauthenticated AJAX action in CMB2, potentially breaking site settings and causing denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vf5h-xv4f-wc7g

## What is CVE-2026-80338?

CVE-2026-80338 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown CMB2, published on 24 Sep 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The CMB2 WordPress plugin before 2.13.0 does not perform any capability check on one of its AJAX actions, allowing users with a role as low as Subscriber to create arbitrary WordPress options and corrupt existing ones, which can break core site settings and take the site offline.
Exploitation requires the site's  or another CMB2 WordPress plugin before 2.13.0 to have declared an oEmbed field, as the CMB2 WordPress plugin before 2.13.0 registers none of its own. The stored value is never attacker-controlled, so the issue does not lead to privilege escalation.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-80338?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-80338?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-80338 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-80338 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-80338 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-80338 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-80338 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown CMB2, published on 24 Sep 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-2026-80338 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Unknown CMB2. 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-2026-80338/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80338/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80338
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80338
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-80338

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80338/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.