CVE-2026-5193: Privilege Escalation in Essential Addons for Elementor
Platform
wordpress
Component
essential-addons-for-elementor-lite
Fixed in
6.6.0
CVE-2026-5193 describes a privilege escalation vulnerability discovered in the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin for WordPress. An attacker with author-level access or higher can exploit this flaw to create new user accounts with elevated privileges, such as the 'editor' role. This vulnerability impacts versions 0.0.0 through 6.5.13 of the plugin and has been resolved in version 6.6.0.
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Impact and Attack Scenarios
The primary impact of CVE-2026-5193 is the potential for unauthorized privilege escalation within a WordPress site. An attacker, already possessing author or higher access, can leverage this vulnerability to create new user accounts with editor or administrator privileges. This grants them the ability to modify content, install plugins, change site settings, and potentially compromise the entire WordPress installation. The blast radius extends to any data accessible by the newly created privileged user, including sensitive information stored in the database or accessible through plugins. This vulnerability shares similarities with other privilege escalation flaws where insufficient role validation allows for unauthorized access elevation.
Exploitation Context
CVE-2026-5193 was published on 2026-05-14. Its severity is currently assessed as medium. Public proof-of-concept (POC) code is not yet widely available, but the vulnerability's nature suggests that a POC is likely to emerge. There are no indications of active exploitation campaigns targeting this vulnerability at this time. Refer to the official WordPress security advisory for further details and updates.
Threat Intelligence
Exploit Status
CISA SSVC
CVSS Vector
What do these metrics mean?
- Attack Vector
- Network — remotely exploitable over the internet. No physical or local access required. Widest attack surface.
- Attack Complexity
- Low — no special conditions required. Attacker can exploit reliably without depending on rare configurations or timing.
- Privileges Required
- Low — any valid user account is sufficient. Basic authenticated access required.
- User Interaction
- None — attack is automatic and silent. Victim does nothing: no click, no file open.
- Scope
- Unchanged — impact is limited to the vulnerable component itself.
- Confidentiality
- None — no confidentiality impact. Attacker cannot read protected data.
- Integrity
- High — attacker can write, modify, or delete any data: databases, config files, or code.
- Availability
- None — no availability impact. Service remains fully operational.
Affected Software
Weakness Classification (CWE)
Timeline
- Reserved
- Published
Mitigation and Workarounds
The recommended mitigation for CVE-2026-5193 is to immediately upgrade the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin to version 6.6.0 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible due to compatibility issues or breaking changes, consider temporarily restricting user creation privileges to administrators only through WordPress user management settings. While not a complete fix, this can limit the attacker's ability to exploit the vulnerability. Monitor WordPress logs for suspicious user creation activity, specifically looking for new users being created with elevated roles. After upgrading, verify the fix by attempting to create a new user with author privileges and confirming that the creation fails with an appropriate error message.
How to fix
Update to version 6.6.0, or a newer patched version
Frequently asked questions
What is CVE-2026-5193 — Privilege Escalation in Essential Addons for Elementor?
CVE-2026-5193 is a medium severity vulnerability in Essential Addons for Elementor allowing attackers with author access to create users with editor privileges, potentially gaining control of the WordPress site.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-5193 in Essential Addons for Elementor?
You are affected if you are using Essential Addons for Elementor versions 0.0.0 through 6.5.13. Upgrade to version 6.6.0 to resolve the issue.
How do I fix CVE-2026-5193 in Essential Addons for Elementor?
Upgrade the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin to version 6.6.0 or later. As a temporary workaround, restrict user creation privileges to administrators only.
Is CVE-2026-5193 being actively exploited?
There are currently no indications of active exploitation campaigns targeting CVE-2026-5193, but a public POC is likely to emerge.
Where can I find the official Essential Addons for Elementor advisory for CVE-2026-5193?
Refer to the official WordPress security advisory and the Essential Addons for Elementor website for the latest information and updates regarding CVE-2026-5193.
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