Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-25035 is a critical account-takeover risk in the WordPress Contest Gallery plugin through version 28.1.2.2. An unauthenticated attacker may bypass authentication using an alternate path or channel. Only WordPress sites running this plugin are in scope, but exposed sites should be treated as high priority.
Executive priority
Urgent for organizations using Contest Gallery on WordPress. The issue can affect account control without credentials, so confirm exposure quickly and follow vendor or Patchstack remediation guidance. If the plugin is absent, this CVE should not drive emergency action.
Technical view
The CVE describes CWE-288 authentication bypass in Wasiliy Strecker / ContestGallery developer Contest Gallery, package slug contest-gallery. CVSS 3.1 is 9.8: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Internet-facing WordPress sites running Contest Gallery versions up to and including 28.1.2.2 are the likely exposure. WordPress sites not using this plugin are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The provided data does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. No exploit proof, payload, or detailed root cause is included. Risk remains high because the vulnerability is unauthenticated, network-reachable, and described as account takeover.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description, CVSS vector, CWE-288 classification, and Patchstack advisory reference. The affected object includes an ambiguous version value, but the title and description clearly state impact through <= 28.1.2.2. No patch version is provided in the source bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the contest-gallery plugin.
- Check installed Contest Gallery versions against 28.1.2.2 or earlier.
- Review Patchstack, CVE, WordPress plugin, and vendor guidance for fixed versions.
- If no safe update is available, consider disabling or removing the plugin.
- Prioritize externally reachable and business-critical WordPress sites first.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether the Contest Gallery plugin is installed.
- Record plugin version and compare with affected range through 28.1.2.2.
- Check web application logs for unusual authentication or account changes.
- Verify whether vendor or Patchstack guidance identifies a fixed release.
- Document compensating controls if the plugin remains enabled.
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-288: 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-2026-25035 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.
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:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability 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
Source materials
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.
Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.