Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
TrueBooker versions through 1.2.6 can reportedly let an unauthenticated internet attacker change a WordPress administrator’s email address. The attacker could then use WordPress password recovery to seize the account, potentially gaining full control of the website and its data.
Executive priority
Treat as an immediate remediation priority on internet-facing WordPress sites. Inventory affected installations, reduce exposure, and follow vendor guidance promptly. Begin incident review where administrator email addresses changed unexpectedly, because successful exploitation can lead directly to complete website compromise.
Technical view
The unauthenticated add_front_user_update() AJAX handler accepts a caller-supplied truebooker_wp_user_id and passes it to wp_update_user() without verifying authentication or account ownership. This IDOR, classified as CWE-639, permits arbitrary user email changes and enables account takeover through the standard password-reset process.
Likely exposure
WordPress sites running TrueBooker 1.2.6 or earlier are potentially exposed, especially when the vulnerable AJAX functionality is internet-accessible. Successful administrator takeover could affect site content, customer information, credentials, availability, and downstream systems administered through WordPress.
Exploitation context
The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8 because exploitation is remote, low-complexity, unauthenticated, and requires no user interaction. The bundle marks the CVE as absent from KEV and provides no evidence of active exploitation. Practical exploitability nevertheless appears high from the described authorization failure.
Researcher notes
The narrative identifies versions through 1.2.6 as vulnerable, but the structured affected entry lists version “0” with default status unaffected. Treat this as a source-data inconsistency and verify scope against current vendor guidance. The supplied sources do not establish a fixed version, exploitation in the wild, or a confirmed patch status.
Mitigation direction
- Identify and prioritize every WordPress site running TrueBooker 1.2.6 or earlier.
- Check official plugin and vendor guidance for a corrected release or approved mitigation.
- Temporarily deactivate or remove the affected plugin where operationally acceptable.
- Reset compromised administrator credentials and restore unauthorized email changes if evidence is found.
- Restrict WordPress administration exposure and monitor account changes while remediation is pending.
Validation and detection
- Record the installed TrueBooker version on every WordPress instance.
- Confirm whether the unauthenticated update handler is present without attempting account modification.
- Review administrator email changes, newly created privileged users, and unexpected role changes.
- Examine password-reset activity and security logs for unexplained administrator account recovery.
- After remediation, verify administrators retain expected email addresses, roles, and access.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-639: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-16142 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9WordfenceVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- Source timelineWordfence
Vendor Notified
- Source timelineWordfence
Disclosed
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f0d3f7cb-4974-4b0f-9658-1895e5966276?source=cveCVE reference, Wordfence
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3640018/truebooker-appointment-bookingCVE reference, Wordfence
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.