CVE-2026-3831: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-3831 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the "Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms" WordPress plugin (by CRM Perks) that allows authenticated attackers to access sensitive form submission data without proper authorization. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 1.4.9, and was disclosed on April 1, 2026. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (Medium), assigned by Wordfence (GitHub Advisory, Wordfence).

The root cause is a missing capability check (CWE-862) on the entries_shortcode() function within the plugin's contact-form-entries.php file. Because no authorization validation is performed before executing this function, any authenticated WordPress user at the Contributor level or above can invoke it to retrieve all stored form submissions. The vulnerable code path is publicly visible in the plugin's source repository (GitHub Advisory, Plugin Source). No user interaction is required, and the attack is conducted over the network with low complexity.

Successful exploitation results in unauthorized read access to all form submissions stored by the plugin, potentially exposing personally identifiable information (PII) such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers submitted through Contact Form 7, WPforms, or Elementor forms. The impact is limited to confidentiality — there is no integrity or availability impact — but the data exposure risk is significant for sites collecting sensitive user information. Any authenticated WordPress user with at least Contributor-level access can exploit this, making it a practical threat on multi-author or open-registration WordPress sites (GitHub Advisory, Wordfence).

There is no public proof-of-concept exploit code and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation at this time. The EPSS score is approximately 0.03–0.045%, placing it in the 14th percentile for exploitation likelihood within 30 days. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No threat actor attribution has been reported (GitHub Advisory, Wordfence).

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites running the "Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms" plugin at version 1.4.9 or earlier. This can be done by checking the plugin's readme.txt or changelog via the WordPress plugin directory path (e.g., /wp-content/plugins/contact-form-entries/readme.txt).
2. Obtain Contributor-level access: Register or log in as a WordPress user with at least Contributor-level privileges. On sites with open registration, this may require only creating a free account.
3. Invoke the vulnerable shortcode: Use the entries_shortcode() function by embedding the plugin's shortcode (e.g., [cfdb7_entries] or equivalent) in a post or page draft, or by directly crafting a request that triggers the function, since no capability check is enforced.
4. Extract form submissions: The function returns all stored form entries — including names, emails, and phone numbers — without verifying whether the requesting user has permission to view them, resulting in full data disclosure (GitHub Advisory, Plugin Source).

• Logs: WordPress access logs showing authenticated requests from low-privileged user accounts (Contributor role) to pages or posts containing the plugin's entries shortcode, particularly in rapid succession or at unusual hours.
• WordPress Activity: Unexpected creation of draft posts or pages by Contributor-level users containing form-entry shortcodes; review WordPress post revision history for such content.
• Database: Queries to the plugin's form entries table (wp_db7_* or equivalent) originating from user sessions associated with Contributor-level accounts outside of normal administrative workflows.
• User Behavior: Contributor-level accounts accessing or previewing posts/pages that render form submission data, especially accounts that do not normally author content (Wordfence).

Update the "Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms" plugin to a version beyond 1.4.9, which contains the fix for the missing capability check. As an interim measure, restrict WordPress user registrations and audit which accounts hold Contributor-level or higher roles, removing unnecessary privileges. Site administrators should also review all form submissions collected during the period the vulnerable plugin version was active to assess potential data exposure (GitHub Advisory, Wordfence).

Sucuri included CVE-2026-3831 in their April 2026 vulnerability patch roundup, highlighting it as part of a broader set of WordPress plugin issues requiring attention (Sucuri Blog). No significant independent researcher commentary or social media discussion has been identified beyond standard vulnerability aggregator coverage.