Reported vulnerability

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

Published 15 Oct 2026

Updated 15 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-109400

Compare your installed software with the affected versions below. Follow the source’s remediation guidance and test an available update after taking a backup. A database entry describes a reported issue; it does not establish whether a particular website has been compromised.

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InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration

In WordPress, open Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the version shown beneath the plugin name.

Wordfence advisory

high · CVSS 7.5

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.

Severity vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration

Software
plugin · instawp-connect
Affected versions
Start version unspecified, through 0.1.4.1
Fix availability
Fix available
Fixed versions
0.1.4.2

Recommended action

Update to version 0.1.4.2, or a newer patched version

Further references (1)
Data sources and licences

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Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

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Source: Wordfence

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Questions about this vulnerability

Which versions of InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration are affected?

Wordfence lists these affected versions: Start version unspecified, through 0.1.4.1. Use the version checker above to compare your installed release with this report.

Is a fix available for InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration?

Wordfence reports a fix for this issue in InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration. It lists these fixed versions: 0.1.4.2. Back up your website and test the recommended update before applying it to your live site.

Where can I find my installed plugin version?

In WordPress, open Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the version shown beneath the plugin name.

Does an affected version mean my website has been hacked?

An affected version means the installed release matches a vulnerability described in this report. It does not show whether anyone has exploited it on your website. The checker compares version numbers with stored reports; it does not inspect your website.

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