Answer in brief
CVE-2026-109400 records a High severity (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in InstaWP Connect <= 0.1.4.1 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via Role-as-Capability Admin Page and API Key Disclosure via 'instawp_sync_tab_roles' Role-as-Capability Setting. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps instawp/InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
CVSS is 7.5. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps instawp/InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| instawp/InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migrationgeneric | >=0 <=0.1.4.1 | Not reported |
Published upstream
Oct 16, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Oct 16, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Oct 16, 2026
The InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.4.1 This is due to the plugin registering its admin page via `add_management_page()` using a role name returned by `InstaWP_Setting::get_allowed_role()` as the required capability — which WordPress resolves as a real capability match for any user holding that role — combined with `generate_section_field()` rendering the master API key from the `instawp_api_options` option directly as the `value` attribute of a plain-text HTML input with no additional `manage_options` or equivalent capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to read the plaintext master API key, use its SHA-256-derived secret as a bearer token accepted by the plugin's REST API `validate_api_request()`, and call `POST /wp-json/instawp-connect/v2/auto-login` to mint a 30-second single-use login URL that sets an administrator authentication cookie — fully escalating their privileges. Exploitation requires the site to be actively connected to InstaWP and an administrator to have added the attacker's role to the plugin's Sync Tab Access list (`instawp_sync_tab_roles`); notably, the settings tab suppression logic only hides the tab when `administrator` is absent from the list entirely, meaning a mixed configuration retaining administrator alongside a lower role still serves the full settings page — including the API key — to the lower-privileged user.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.