# Abstracts <= 2.7.6 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via Registration Form Update

- **ID:** WPSEC-2026-2491
- **Plugin:** WP Abstracts (`wp-abstracts-manuscripts-manager`), https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-abstracts-manuscripts-manager/
- **Affected versions:** from 2.0.0 before 2.7.7
- **Fixed in:** 2.7.7 (Update to 2.7.7 or later.)
- **Severity:** High 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
- **Weakness:** CWE-269
- **Usage among sites WPSec scans:** plugin Low, affected versions None seen (as of 2026-11-04)
- **Attack surface analysis:** https://attacksurface.wpsec.com/plugin/wp-abstracts-manuscripts-manager
- **Fix released:** 2026-11-03
- **Published:** 2026-11-04
- **URL:** https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-2491/

## Description

The WP Abstracts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via the wpabs_save_regform AJAX action and the registration/profile field sync in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.6, due to a missing capability check on the wpabstracts_user_save_regform() function (protected at most by a nonce that is given to front-end users) combined with the wpabstracts_sync_wpfields() function writing submitted registration and profile values to whatever user meta key a form field's wpSync property names, with no allow-list. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to overwrite the registration form definition so that a field is synced to the capabilities meta key, then submit that field from the profile or registration form to give an account the administrator role. WordPress field sync is on by default.

## References

- https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-2491/
- https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/wp-abstracts-manuscripts-manager/tags/2.7.7/
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-abstracts-manuscripts-manager/

Source: WPSec, https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-2491/

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.