CVE-2026-24386: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-24386 is a Missing Authorization (Broken Access Control) vulnerability in the "Element Invader – Template Kits for Elementor" WordPress plugin. It affects all versions up to and including 1.2.4, and was discovered by researcher Nabil Irawan and reported on December 17, 2025, with public disclosure on January 22, 2026. The vulnerability was assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (Medium) by Patchstack, the reporting CNA (Patchstack, NVD).

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), meaning the plugin fails to properly verify whether an authenticated user has the appropriate permissions before executing certain privileged actions. An attacker with low-level authenticated access (e.g., a Subscriber-level WordPress account) can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to perform actions beyond their intended privilege scope. No user interaction is required, and the attack is conducted over the network with low complexity (Patchstack, NVD).

Successful exploitation allows a low-privileged authenticated attacker to perform unauthorized actions that should be restricted to higher-privileged users, resulting in a limited integrity impact. There is no direct confidentiality or availability impact based on the CVSS assessment. The practical consequence is unauthorized modification of plugin-controlled data or settings, which could affect site content or template configurations managed by the Element Invader plugin (Patchstack).

No public proof-of-concept exploit code or evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for this vulnerability. The EPSS score is approximately 0.025% (0.000250), indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Patchstack notes that vulnerabilities of this class are sometimes used in mass-exploit campaigns targeting WordPress sites at scale, regardless of site popularity (Patchstack).

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites running the Element Invader – Template Kits for Elementor plugin version 1.2.4 or earlier using tools like WPScan or by inspecting plugin metadata in publicly accessible WordPress installations.
2. Obtain low-privilege access: Register or log in as a Subscriber-level user on the target WordPress site (many sites allow open registration).
3. Identify unprotected endpoints: Enumerate plugin-specific AJAX actions or REST API endpoints exposed by the Element Invader plugin that lack proper capability checks.
4. Send unauthorized request: Craft and submit an authenticated HTTP request (e.g., a WordPress AJAX POST to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the relevant action parameter) that triggers a privileged function without the required authorization check.
5. Achieve unauthorized action: Successfully execute a higher-privileged operation — such as modifying template kit settings or plugin data — that should be restricted to administrators or editors (Patchstack).

• Logs: WordPress access logs showing authenticated POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with Element Invader-specific action parameters from low-privilege user accounts (e.g., Subscriber role).
• Logs: Unexpected plugin configuration changes or template modifications recorded in WordPress activity/audit logs coinciding with Subscriber-level user sessions.
• Network: Repeated or scripted requests to WordPress AJAX or REST endpoints associated with the Element Invader plugin from a single IP or user agent in a short timeframe, consistent with automated scanning or exploitation.

The vulnerability is patched in version 1.2.5 of the Element Invader – Template Kits for Elementor plugin. Site administrators should update to version 1.2.5 or later immediately via the WordPress plugin dashboard. If an immediate update is not possible, consider temporarily deactivating the plugin or restricting site registration to prevent untrusted users from obtaining Subscriber-level accounts. Patchstack users can enable auto-update for vulnerable plugins as an additional safeguard (Patchstack).

The vulnerability received routine coverage from automated vulnerability tracking services and security feeds, with no notable researcher commentary or significant media coverage beyond standard disclosure. Patchstack classified it as low priority with unlikely exploitation impact (Patchstack).