CVE-2026-6456: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wrmc-3xq2-8pf7
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-6456 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-6456 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-6456
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wrmc-3xq2-8pf7
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-6456

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-6456, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The Account Switcher plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.2. This is due to the `rememberLogin` REST API endpoint using a loose comparison (`!=` instead of `!==`) for secret validation at `app/RestAPI.php:111`, combined with no validation that the secret is non-empty. When a target user has never used the "Remember me" feature, their `asSecret` user meta does not exist, causing `get_user_meta()` to return an empty string. An attacker can send an empty `secret` parameter, which passes the comparison (`'' != ''` is `false`), and the endpoint then calls `wp_set_auth_cookie()` for the target user. Additionally, all REST routes use `permission_callback => '__return_true'` with no capability checks. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to switch to any user account including Administrator, ultimately granting themselves full administrative privileges.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-6456 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-6456
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-swi... WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-switcher/tags/1.0.2/app/PluginHero/BaseAPI.php#L54
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-swi... WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-switcher/tags/1.0.2/app/RestAPI.php#L111
wordpress.org/plugins/account-swi... WEB
https://wordpress.org/plugins/account-switcher
www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulner... WEB
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/9e9cfb9b-6951-4246-9cd6-dd64fee3a1bc?source=cve

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-6456?
CVE-2026-6456 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-6456?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-6456?
CVE-2026-6456 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-6456?
CVE-2026-6456 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-6456?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-wrmc-3xq2-8pf7",
  "modified" : "2026-05-20T03:31:35Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-20T03:31:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-6456" ],
  "details" : "The Account Switcher plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.2. This is due to the `rememberLogin` REST API endpoint using a loose comparison (`!=` instead of `!==`) for secret validation at `app/RestAPI.php:111`, combined with no validation that the secret is non-empty. When a target user has never used the \"Remember me\" feature, their `asSecret` user meta does not exist, causing `get_user_meta()` to return an empty string. An attacker can send an empty `secret` parameter, which passes the comparison (`'' != ''` is `false`), and the endpoint then calls `wp_set_auth_cookie()` for the target user. Additionally, all REST routes use `permission_callback => '__return_true'` with no capability checks. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to switch to any user account including Administrator, ultimately granting themselves full administrative privileges.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-6456"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-switcher/tags/1.0.2/app/PluginHero/BaseAPI.php#L54"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/account-switcher/tags/1.0.2/app/RestAPI.php#L111"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://wordpress.org/plugins/account-switcher"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/9e9cfb9b-6951-4246-9cd6-dd64fee3a1bc?source=cve"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-20T02:16:38Z"
  }
}