Post Duplicator lets Contributors attribute duplicated posts to arbitrary users
Post Duplicator through 3.0.11 does not require edit_others_posts in duplicate_post(). A Contributor can supply selectedAuthorId to the duplicate-post REST endpoint and create a duplicated post attributed to any account, including an Administrator. Confirmed fixed release: 3.0.12.
- Component
- Post Duplicator
- Plugin slug
post-duplicator- Affected
- <= 3.0.11
- Safe version
3.0.12- Published
- Aug 22, 2026
- Weakness
- CWE-862 — Missing Authorization
This CVE was published Aug 22, 2026 and is one of 10 known issues for this plugin.
Update, patch or deactivate.
Update to 3.0.12 or later, preferably the current supported release. The official 3.0.12 changelog confirms that Contributors can no longer attribute duplicated posts to other users without edit_others_posts. Enforce that capability before accepting selectedAuthorId, and review duplicated posts for unexpected author attribution. Official changelog: https://wordpress.org/plugins/post-duplicator/#developers
A safe version is available, so updating to that version or later is the preferred remediation. If an immediate update is not practical, consider a targeted application patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality.
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.
Technical description
The Post Duplicator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the `duplicate_post()` function in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.11. This is due to the function not verifying that the user has `edit_others_posts` capability before accepting a `selectedAuthorId` parameter via the `duplicate-post` REST endpoint. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to create duplicated posts attributed to any user, including administrators.
CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N