CVE-2026-8825: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-8825 is a sensitive information disclosure vulnerability in the Elementor Website Builder WordPress plugin affecting all versions before 4.1.4. The flaw allows authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher to retrieve the title, body, and metadata of private posts, private pages, and drafts authored by other users, including administrators, via an improperly secured REST API endpoint. It was publicly disclosed on June 29, 2026, and a patch was released in version 4.1.4. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 4.9 (Medium) and is classified under CWE-200 (Information Exposure) (WPScan, GitHub Advisory).

The root cause is insufficient permission checking in one of Elementor's custom REST API endpoints (/wp-json/elementor/v1/post), classified as CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and mapped to OWASP Top 10 A3: Sensitive Data Exposure. While WordPress's native REST API correctly returns HTTP 403 for unauthorized access to private posts, Elementor's endpoint bypasses this access control by accepting parameters such as is_public=false, term (post ID), included_types[], and keys_conversion_map[], which allow an attacker to specify which post fields to return. An authenticated Contributor can enumerate post IDs sequentially and retrieve full content of private posts and drafts without any additional privileges (WPScan). The vulnerability was discovered and reported by researcher Sarthak Saxena of CyberXplore (WPScan).

Successful exploitation allows any authenticated Contributor-level (or higher) user to read the full content, title, and metadata of private posts, private pages, and unpublished drafts belonging to any other user on the WordPress site, including administrators. This can expose sensitive business content, unreleased announcements, confidential internal pages, or personally identifiable information stored in draft form. While the vulnerability does not enable code execution or privilege escalation directly, the exposed data could be leveraged for targeted social engineering, competitive intelligence gathering, or further attacks against the site or its administrators (WPScan, GitHub Advisory).

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites running Elementor version 4.0.8 or earlier using tools like WPScan or by inspecting page source for Elementor version metadata.
2. Obtain Contributor access: Register or log in as a Contributor-level (or higher) user on the target WordPress site.
3. Retrieve REST nonce: After logging in, obtain the wp_rest nonce from any authenticated page (e.g., /wp-admin/profile.php), where it is rendered as wpApiSettings.nonce.
4. Enumerate post IDs: Iterate over integer post IDs (e.g., term=1, term=2, ...) to identify private posts, pages, or drafts.
5. Request private content via Elementor endpoint: Send a crafted GET request to the Elementor REST endpoint, bypassing WordPress's native access controls:

curl -i 'https://target.tld/wp-json/elementor/v1/post?term=TARGET_ID&is_public=false&items_count=1&included_types[]=post&keys_conversion_map[ID]=id&keys_conversion_map[post_title]=title&keys_conversion_map[post_content]=content&keys_conversion_map[post_status]=status' \
  -H 'X-WP-Nonce: CONTRIBUTOR_WP_REST_NONCE' \
  --cookie 'wordpress_logged_in_HASH=CONTRIBUTOR_COOKIE'

6. Exfiltrate data: The endpoint returns HTTP 200 with the private post's ID, title, content, and status. Repeat with included_types[]=page to enumerate private pages as well (WPScan).

• Network: Unusual or repeated GET requests to /wp-json/elementor/v1/post with parameters is_public=false, sequential term values, and keys_conversion_map[] fields from a single authenticated session.
• Logs: WordPress access logs showing HTTP 200 responses to /wp-json/elementor/v1/post for post IDs that are private or draft status, particularly from Contributor-level accounts; high volume of requests iterating over sequential term values.
• Logs: Presence of X-WP-Nonce header in REST API requests to the Elementor endpoint from accounts that do not normally interact with the REST API.
• Behavioral: A Contributor account making an unusually high number of REST API calls in a short time window, especially targeting the Elementor-specific endpoint rather than standard WordPress REST routes (WPScan).

The vulnerability is fixed in Elementor Website Builder version 4.1.4. Site administrators should update the plugin to version 4.1.4 or later immediately via the WordPress plugin dashboard or by downloading from the official WordPress plugin repository. No configuration-based workaround is available; upgrading is the only effective remediation. As an interim measure, site administrators may consider restricting Contributor-level registrations or auditing existing Contributor accounts until the patch is applied (WPScan, GitHub Advisory).

The vulnerability was discovered and responsibly disclosed by security researcher Sarthak Saxena of CyberXplore, who submitted it to WPScan. No significant vendor statements beyond the patch release or notable broader media coverage have been identified at this time (WPScan).