# CVE-2026-80438: Missing authorization in Ninja Forms

> Authenticated users with specific capabilities can read sensitive data and modify arbitrary posts due to insufficient authorization checks in the REST API.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N`)
- **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:** 4 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 4 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-px74-7f5f-fv49

## What is CVE-2026-80438?

CVE-2026-80438 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown Ninja Forms, published on 4 Sep 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Ninja Forms  WordPress plugin before 3.15.2 does not restrict its REST abilities to administrators, accepting a Ninja Forms  WordPress plugin before 3.15.2-specific capability as equivalent to full site administration, which allows any user granted that capability to read Ninja Forms  WordPress plugin before 3.15.2 settings and stored form submissions, overwrite the Ninja Forms  WordPress plugin before 3.15.2's configuration, and create or modify arbitrary posts and pages.
The capability belongs to no default WordPress role and the Ninja Forms  WordPress plugin before 3.15.2 never grants it, so an administrator must have assigned it, typically when delegating access to the form builder.

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-80438?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-80438?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-80438 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-80438 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-80438 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-80438 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-80438 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown Ninja Forms, published on 4 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-2026-80438 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Unknown Ninja Forms. 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-2026-80438/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80438/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80438
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80438
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-80438

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80438/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.