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highPrivilege Escpublic exploit

CVE-2026-17553

CVE-2026-17553 — Shopping Cart & eCommerce Store <= 5.9.3 - Authenticated (Store Manager+) Privilege Escalation to ec_ajax_save_page_default_options AJAX Action

The WP EasyCart plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions up to, and including, 5.9.3. This is due to the ec_ajax_save_page_default_options() AJAX handler iterating over every $_POST key and passing it directly into update_option() without any allowlist, while gating the handler only on 'manage_options' OR the plugin's custom 'wpec_manager' capability. The plugin's built-in 'wpec_store_manager' role holds 'wpec_manager' but not 'manage_options', and the required nonce is emitted on frontend product/category templates that render for any user with 'wpec_manager'. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Store Manager-level access and above, to elevate their privileges to administrator by updating arbitrary WordPress options such as default_role='administrator' and users_can_register='1', then self-registering a new account that is assigned the administrator role.

Published Updated Sources: NVD, levelfourstorefront (CNA), GitHub, SOCRadar CTI

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Exploit code

public exploit, none observed

EPSS

0%

ahead of 0% of scored CVEs

Affects

levelfourstorefront

Shopping Cart & eCommerce Store

CVSS base

7.2

high

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade Shopping Cart & eCommerce Store to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

  • Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
  • Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
  • Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatus
levelfourstorefrontShopping Cart & eCommerce Store0 to <= 5.9.3Vulnerable

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

High

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

Low

Attack Vector

Network

Privileges Req

High

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactSource
7.2CVSS 3.1high1.25.9NVD, levelfourstorefront (CNA)

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What this weakness leads to

MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.

MITRE

CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management

  • Gain Privileges or Assume Identity::

Mitigation: Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.

Weakness & attack patterns

  • CWE-269Improper Privilege Management

Attack patterns reported against this CVE. The ATT&CK techniques below are inferred from its weakness class.

CAPEC-122 · Privilege AbuseCAPEC-58 · Restful Privilege ElevationCAPEC-233 · Privilege Escalation
  • T1548Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism

Public exploit

Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.

Repositories

2

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

  • Search application, proxy, and WAF logs for requests touching /category.
  • Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable Shopping Cart & eCommerce Store.
  • Review endpoint telemetry for service binary replacement, suspicious service launches, or privilege changes tied to the affected agent.
  • Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 2 public PoC repositories were reported.
web/proxy/WAF logsapplication logsnetwork IDS/IPSEDR process telemetryhost service logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

  1. 2026

  2. Added · CVSS 3.1 7.2 (AV:N)

    Sep 9, 2026 · NVD

  3. Initial · CVE published

    Sep 9, 2026 · NVD

  4. CVE published by MITRE.

    Sep 9, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI

  5. Reported · Disclosed

    Sep 8, 2026 · levelfourstorefront

  6. Reported · Vendor Notified

    Aug 27, 2026 · levelfourstorefront

References

7 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-17553 is Shopping Cart & eCommerce Store <= 5.9.3 - Authenticated (Store Manager+) Privilege Escalation to ec_ajax_save_page_default_options AJAX Action, a high vulnerability affecting Shopping Cart & eCommerce Store from levelfourstorefront. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-17553. Public exploit evidence is: 2 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 7.2 describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.