CVE-2026-2839: Advanced Custom Fields missing authorization check vulnerability
medium 5.3 published 2026-10-28 · updated 2026-10-29
- Affected versions
- 0.9.2.7 and older
- Fixed in
- 0.9.2.8 *
- Latest version
- 0.9.2.8
- Severity
- Medium · CVSS 5.3
- Active installs
- 100,000+
- Type
- Missing authorization check
* The source does not name a fixed version; this is the first wordpress.org release after the last affected version.
What an attacker needs
- Access: None. No account or login is needed.
CVSS vector (score by Wordfence): CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
What to do now
- Update Advanced Custom Fields to 0.9.2.8 or newer: Dashboard → Updates, or Plugins → “update now”.
- If you cannot update right away, deactivate it until you can.
- Turn on auto-updates for it: Plugins → “Enable auto-updates” on its row.
- Not sure which version you run? Check your version against every known Advanced Custom Fields issue.
With WP-CLI:
wp plugin get acf-extended --field=version. - If you ran an affected version and something looks off (new admin users, spam pages, redirects), run the free scan below.
The advisory
The Advanced Custom Fields: Extended plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data and triggering of server-side actions in all versions up to, and including, 0.9.2.7. This is due to multiple AJAX handlers registered for unauthenticated users (`wp_ajax_nopriv_*`) that fail to implement proper `current_user_can()` authorization checks. While these handlers use ACF's `acf_verify_ajax()` function to validate cryptographic nonces, the `acf_nonce` values are generated for guest users and publicly exposed in the page source of any frontend page utilizing an ACF form. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to extract the guest nonce and bypass WordPress visibility permissions, leading to the unauthorized disclosure of post titles and internal Flexible Content layout structures. The vulnerability was partially patched in version 0.9.2.4.
References
- NVD CVE-2026-2839 nvd.nist.gov
- Wordfence advisory www.wordfence.com
- Code change (fix) plugins.trac.wordpress.org
- Plugin source plugins.trac.wordpress.org
Related
Ran an affected version? Check your site for signs of a hack
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Where this data comes from
- CVE record, score and references: NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD), checked 2026-11-04. This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Versions and install counts: wordpress.org/plugins/acf-extended (Plugins API), fetched 2026-11-04.
- The summary, “what an attacker needs” and “what to do” sections are our plain-English reading of the record and the plugin's release history; the quoted description is the record's own text. Spot an error? Email Daniel.