WordPress security changelog
HIGH CVE-2020-37255 Deferred

Time Capsule Plugin: Privilege escalation or authentication bypass

Time Capsule Plugin is affected by privilege escalation or authentication bypass. The vulnerable path is reachable without authentication. A successful request can grant permissions or access that the caller should not possess. The published affected range is <= 1.21.16.

CVE / CNA score 8.7 CVSS 4.0 · disclosure@vulncheck.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
Time Capsule Plugin
Plugin slug
time-capsule
Affected
<= 1.21.16
Safe version
> 1.21.16
Published
Jun 20, 2026
Weakness
CWE-288 — Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

This CVE was published Jun 20, 2026 and is one of 1 known issue for this plugin.

Update, patch or deactivate.

Update Time Capsule Plugin to a release after 1.21.16, or disable and remove it until a fixed version is available.

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

WordPress Time Capsule Plugin 1.21.16 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to gain administrative access by sending a crafted POST request with the IWP_JSON_PREFIX header. Attackers can exploit this flaw to obtain valid administrator session cookies and access the WordPress dashboard without providing credentials.

CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Primary and upstream sources