Vulnerability · Published Nov 5, 2026 · Assigned by Wordfence
CVE-2026-118193GiveWP <= 4.19.1 - Authenticated (Custom+) Privilege Escalation to 'donor_default_user_role' Parameter
High 8.8
In plain English
A high-severity privilege mismanagement in GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform from stellarwp. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.4% (higher than 34% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
The GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.19.1 via the `donor_default_user_role` parameter. This is due to the `sanitize_option_donor_default_user_role()` function applying only a narrow literal check against the string `'administrator'` rather than enforcing the plugin's own `give_get_donor_safe_user_roles()` allowlist on save, and due to the `give_core_settings_import_callback()` AJAX handler writing imported JSON directly into the `give_settings` option via `update_option()` without invoking the sanitize filter at all. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with the GiveWP Manager role (holding the `manage_give_settings` capability) and above to configure donor registration to assign privileged WordPress roles — up to and including Administrator via the import path — to every new donor account created through the platform. Via the settings save path, the Administrator role is blocked but any other elevated role (Editor, Author, etc.) is accepted; via the Tools › Import JSON path, the sanitize filter is bypassed entirely, allowing the Administrator role itself to be stored and subsequently applied to all newly registered donor accounts.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| stellarwp | GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform | 0 – through 4.19.1 |
Weakness: CWE-269 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f2ab1544-2428-4c93-b973-8280ff7a2903?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/give/tags/4.19.0/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-advanced.php#L436
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/give/tags/4.19.0/includes/admin/admin-actions.php#L971
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/give/tags/4.19.0/includes/process-donation.php#L1200
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/give/tags/4.19.0/src/Donors/Actions/CreateUserFromDonor.php#L23
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3782355/give/trunk/includes/admin/settings/class-settings-advanced.php