WordPress security changelog
MEDIUM CVE-2026-118194 Received

Page and Post Restriction: Authentication bypass

The Page and Post Restriction plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.6.1 This is due to the papr_restrict_page_post_rest_api() function, hooked on rest_pre_dispatch, re-authenticating the current user from the wordpress_logged_in cookie via wp_set_current_user() for any GET or HEAD REST request where the current user is 0, without verifying a REST nonce — silently undoing the nonce-zeroing that WordPress core's rest_cookie_check_errors() performs on cookie-authenticated requests that lack an X-WP-Nonce header or _wpnonce parameter. Combined with WordPress's permissive REST CORS behavior — which echoes the request Origin and sets Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true — this allows an unauthenticated attacker to read REST API GET responses as a logged-in victim, exposing role-restricted and private post/page content, victim user profile data via /wp-json/wp/v2/users/me, and comments the victim is authorized to see. This requires the attacker to lure a logged-in user into visiting an attacker-controlled page that issues credentialed cross-origin fetch requests against the target site's REST API; no nonce or further victim interaction beyond the page visit is needed. The structured affected range is <= 1.6.1.

CVE / CNA score 6.5 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
Page and Post Restriction
Plugin slug
page-and-post-restriction
Affected
<= 1.6.1
Safe version
See mitigation notes
Published
Oct 30, 2026
Weakness
CWE-287 — Improper Authentication

This CVE was published Oct 30, 2026 and is one of 5 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

Official author notes reviewed on 2026-10-30 through version 1.6.2 did not establish an exact fixed release for this CVE. Archive/block leakage fixes do not establish residual REST cookie/nonce bypass fix. This archive’s uncertainty does not establish that the current release remains vulnerable. Require the appropriate WordPress REST nonce for cookie-authenticated requests; do not restore cookie identity after core rejects a missing nonce. Official author notes: https://wordpress.org/plugins/page-and-post-restriction/#developers.

No confirmed safe version is listed. Consider a vendor-supported patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality while you assess the risk.

Deactivate only when warranted by your risk profile, or when advised by your hosting provider in the limited circumstances where the vulnerability cannot otherwise be mitigated. If you’re unsure which action is appropriate, contact Fused or your hosting provider for guidance.

Source record

Technical description

The Page and Post Restriction plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.6.1 This is due to the `papr_restrict_page_post_rest_api()` function, hooked on `rest_pre_dispatch`, re-authenticating the current user from the `wordpress_logged_in` cookie via `wp_set_current_user()` for any GET or HEAD REST request where the current user is 0, without verifying a REST nonce — silently undoing the nonce-zeroing that WordPress core's `rest_cookie_check_errors()` performs on cookie-authenticated requests that lack an `X-WP-Nonce` header or `_wpnonce` parameter. Combined with WordPress's permissive REST CORS behavior — which echoes the request `Origin` and sets `Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true` — this allows an unauthenticated attacker to read REST API GET responses as a logged-in victim, exposing role-restricted and private post/page content, victim user profile data via `/wp-json/wp/v2/users/me`, and comments the victim is authorized to see. This requires the attacker to lure a logged-in user into visiting an attacker-controlled page that issues credentialed cross-origin `fetch` requests against the target site's REST API; no nonce or further victim interaction beyond the page visit is needed.

CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

References

Primary and upstream sources