CVE-2026-18432
CVE-2026-18432 — Frontend Admin by DynamiApps <= 3.29.9 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via 'item_id' Parameter
The Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 3.29.9. The vulnerability exists because `ActionUser::conditions_logic()` gates the `current_user_can('edit_user', $user_id)` authorization check behind an `is_numeric()` test, causing the check to be skipped entirely when `$user_id` is a non-numeric string — a condition that can be induced by passing a crafted value such as `1one` through the unvalidated `item_id` parameter of the unauthenticated `wp_ajax_nopriv_frontend_admin/forms/change_form` AJAX endpoint. This makes it possible for attackers to escalate privileges to administrator by obtaining a server-signed `_acf_objects` payload carrying the non-numeric user ID, which WordPress subsequently coerces to integer 1 (the default administrator), allowing the attacker to overwrite that account's password or email address. Exploitation by unauthenticated users requires a public-facing frontend user form to be configured; in all other cases a subscriber-level account is sufficient.
Published Updated Sources: NVD, shabti (CNA), GitHub, GitHub Security Advisory, SOCRadar CTI
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.
Exploitation
Reported
not confirmed by CISA
EPSS
0%
ahead of 0% of scored CVEs
CVSS base
9.8
critical
Remediation
The vendor's own words where we have them.
Upgrade Frontend Admin by DynamiApps 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.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| shabti | Frontend Admin by DynamiApps | 0 to <= 3.29.9 | Vulnerable |
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
None
User Interaction
None
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | critical | 3.9 | 5.9 | NVD, shabti (CNA), GHSA |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
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.
- T1548Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
Public exploit
Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.
Repositories
5
2 of the 5 sampled are weaponized
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 /forms/change_form.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable Frontend Admin by DynamiApps.
- 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 5 public PoC repositories were reported.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.
- 2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 9.8 (AV:N)
Aug 16, 2026 · NVD
Initial · CVE published
Aug 16, 2026 · NVD
Added · GHSA-ch22-9ppp-5952 published (critical)
Aug 16, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisory
Reported · Disclosed
Aug 15, 2026 · shabti
Reported · Vendor Notified
Jul 30, 2026 · shabti
Source activity
Readings a source repeats on a schedule, counted rather than listed.
- 1×CVE modified by NIST, Modified, LinkAug 16, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
References
14 on the record
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.3/main/frontend/forms/actions/user.php#L565
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.3/main/frontend/forms/actions/user.php#L680
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.3/main/frontend/forms/classes/display.php#L1654
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.3/main/frontend/forms/classes/display.php#L1953
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.3/main/frontend/forms/classes/display.php#L37
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.9/main/frontend/forms/actions/user.php#L565
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.9/main/frontend/forms/actions/user.php#L680
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/acf-frontend-form-element/tags/3.29.9/main/frontend/forms/classes/display.php#L1654
Vendor Advisory
Elsewhere on this site
- shabtievery CVE for this vendor
- Privilege Escsame class
- CWE-269other pages naming this weakness
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-2026-18432 is Frontend Admin by DynamiApps <= 3.29.9 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via 'item_id' Parameter, a critical vulnerability affecting Frontend Admin by DynamiApps from shabti. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Exploitation is reported, but no independent confirmation is available in the sources we have. Public exploit evidence is: 5 public PoC repositories reported; 2 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 9.8 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.