# Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks <= 2.1.0 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Incorrect Authorization to Arbitrary Plugin Installation and Activation

- **ID:** WPSEC-2026-1072
- **Plugin:** Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager (`simple-301-redirects`), https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-301-redirects/
- **Affected versions:** from 2.0.0 before 2.1.1
- **Fixed in:** 2.1.1 (Update to 2.1.1 or later.)
- **Severity:** Medium 6.6 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
- **Weakness:** CWE-863
- **Usage among sites WPSec scans:** plugin Low, affected versions Low (as of 2026-10-16)
- **Attack surface analysis:** https://attacksurface.wpsec.com/plugin/simple-301-redirects
- **Fix released:** 2026-10-15
- **Published:** 2026-10-16
- **URL:** https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-1072/

## Description

The Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized plugin installation and activation via the simple301redirects/admin/install_plugin and simple301redirects/admin/activate_plugin AJAX actions in versions 2.0.0 up to, and including, 2.1.0, due to the handlers checking the manage_options capability instead of install_plugins and activate_plugins, and accepting any plugin slug or basename. This makes it possible for authenticated users who have manage_options but no plugin management capabilities, such as site administrators on a multisite network, to install arbitrary plugins from the WordPress.org repository and activate arbitrary installed plugins.

## References

- https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-1072/
- https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/simple-301-redirects/tags/2.1.1/
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-301-redirects/

Source: WPSec, https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-1072/

License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Free to use, share and adapt, also commercially, if you credit WPSec and link to this advisory.