# CVE-2026-9701: Eventer <= 4.4.2 - Insecure Password Reset Mechanism to Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation

> Unauthenticated attackers can bypass password reset security to take over any user account, including administrators, via insecure key storage.

- **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:** 8 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 8 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qhrf-5rv2-gph8

## What is CVE-2026-9701?

CVE-2026-9701 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in joe007 Eventer, published on 8 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Eventer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to an insecure password reset mechanism in all versions up to, and including, 4.4.2. The plugin stores a plaintext copy of the password reset key in the `eventer_verification_code` user meta field when a user requests a password reset. The plaintext key stored in `wp_usermeta` can be used with the plugin's custom reset action to set a new password for any user. Combined with another vulnerability such as SQL Injection (CVE-2026-9700), this makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to extract the plaintext reset key and take over any user account, including administrators. Note: The password reset function only works up to PHP version 7.4.

Weakness: CWE-289 (Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-9701?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-9701?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-9701 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-9701 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-9701 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-9701 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-9701 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in joe007 Eventer, published on 8 Jul 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-2026-9701 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: joe007 Eventer. 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-2026-9701/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9701/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-9701
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-9701
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-9701

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9701/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.