CVE-2026-12949: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xqxv-q9jf-7cwc
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-640
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-12949 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-640: Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product contains a mechanism for users to recover or change their passwords without knowing the original password, but the mechanism is weak.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-12949 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-12949
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xqxv-q9jf-7cwc
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-640: Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2026-12949

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-2026-12949, 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-640: Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password, where the product contains a mechanism for users to recover or change their passwords without knowing the original password, but the mechanism is weak. 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 Wishlist Member plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Account Takeover via Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity in versions up to and including 3.34.1. This is due to the wpm_register() function validating the registration cookie only against the GET reg parameter while accepting the POST mergewith and POST wpm_id parameters without verifying that the mergewith user ID references a temporary or incomplete registrant that is bound to the current registration transaction. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to take over any existing WordPress account — including administrator accounts — by supplying an arbitrary user's numeric ID as the mergewith value, which causes wp_update_user() to overwrite the target account's username (additionally written via a direct $wpdb UPDATE), password, email address, first name, and last name with attacker-controlled values, while WordPress password and email change notification emails are explicitly suppressed. When wpm_id references a non-existent membership level, no role key is added to the update payload, causing wp_update_user() to preserve the target user's existing role — including administrator — making full privilege escalation a direct consequence of the takeover.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-12949 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-12949
wishlistmember.com WEB
https://wishlistmember.com
www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulner... WEB
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/84afe5a7-1bf4-4b83-bf77-efbb003a30cd?source=cve

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-12949?
CVE-2026-12949 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-640: Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-12949?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-12949?
CVE-2026-12949 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-12949?
CVE-2026-12949 is classified under CWE-640: Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password (The product contains a mechanism for users to recover or change their passwords without knowing the original password, but the mechanism is weak.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-12949?
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-xqxv-q9jf-7cwc",
  "modified" : "2026-08-14T06:31:05Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-14T06:31:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-12949" ],
  "details" : "The Wishlist Member plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Account Takeover via Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity in versions up to and including 3.34.1. This is due to the wpm_register() function validating the registration cookie only against the GET reg parameter while accepting the POST mergewith and POST wpm_id parameters without verifying that the mergewith user ID references a temporary or incomplete registrant that is bound to the current registration transaction. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to take over any existing WordPress account — including administrator accounts — by supplying an arbitrary user's numeric ID as the mergewith value, which causes wp_update_user() to overwrite the target account's username (additionally written via a direct $wpdb UPDATE), password, email address, first name, and last name with attacker-controlled values, while WordPress password and email change notification emails are explicitly suppressed. When wpm_id references a non-existent membership level, no role key is added to the update payload, causing wp_update_user() to preserve the target user's existing role — including administrator — making full privilege escalation a direct consequence of the takeover.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-12949"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://wishlistmember.com"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/84afe5a7-1bf4-4b83-bf77-efbb003a30cd?source=cve"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-640" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-14T06:16:53Z"
  }
}