CVE-2026-57669: Advanced Contact Form 7 DB Access Control Flaw – Medium Severity Update

Technical summary

CVE-2026-57669 is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) affecting Advanced Contact Form 7 DB through version 2.0.9. The plugin fails to properly enforce access controls on contact form submission records, allowing authenticated users with subscriber-level permissions to retrieve data they lack authorization to view. The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.5 (Medium) reflects a network-based attack with low complexity and low privileges required, resulting in high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact. The vulnerability does not appear on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Business impact

This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized disclosure of contact form submissions and associated metadata. For organizations using this plugin to collect sensitive inquiries—customer support requests, lead generation, job applications, or confidential feedback—a compromised subscriber account or privilege escalation could expose that information to unintended parties. Compliance implications depend on form content; if contact forms capture personal data subject to GDPR, CCPA, or similar regulations, unauthorized access increases breach notification and regulatory risk.

Affected systems

Advanced Contact Form 7 DB plugin versions 2.0.9 and earlier are affected. This plugin extends the popular Contact Form 7 plugin for WordPress by adding a database backend for form submissions. Any WordPress site running this plugin at or below version 2.0.9 with active user accounts at subscriber level or above is potentially vulnerable.

Exploitability

Exploitation requires an authenticated WordPress user account—no unauthenticated remote access is possible. A subscriber-level account (the lowest user role typically available in WordPress) is sufficient to trigger the flaw. Attack complexity is low; no special tools, social engineering, or user interaction is required beyond normal site access. This makes the vulnerability practical to exploit by insiders or by attackers who have obtained valid credentials through phishing, password reuse, or brute force. CISA has not flagged this as actively exploited.

Remediation

Update Advanced Contact Form 7 DB to version 2.1.0 or later. Verify the update through the WordPress plugin dashboard or by checking the plugin file headers. After patching, audit subscriber and contributor roles on your site to identify which accounts can access form data, and consider implementing role-based restrictions if the plugin now offers them.

Patch guidance

Step 1: Verify your current Advanced Contact Form 7 DB version via WordPress Plugins dashboard. Step 2: Back up your WordPress database before upgrading. Step 3: Click 'Update Now' next to the plugin or manually upload version 2.1.0 or later from the official WordPress plugin repository. Step 4: Confirm the update completed successfully and perform a smoke test of form submissions. Step 5: Monitor site logs for any access anomalies in the 24 hours post-update. For sites unable to patch immediately, restrict subscriber role assignments and regularly audit user accounts.

Detection guidance

Monitor server and WordPress access logs for unusual queries to the Advanced Contact Form 7 DB tables (typically wp_cf7_db or similar). Alert on database queries from subscriber-level users accessing form submission records outside normal workflow. Implement WordPress security logging via plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri to track who accesses form data and when. Check for evidence of credential compromise on subscriber accounts. If you do not have database-level logging enabled, configure it to capture SELECT queries against form submission tables.

Why prioritize this

Medium severity (CVSS 6.5) warrants priority within 30 days, not immediate. The flaw requires authentication, limiting attack surface compared to unauthenticated vulnerabilities. However, confidentiality impact is high, and many organizations do not restrict subscriber accounts aggressively. Sites collecting sensitive data via contact forms or with high subscriber counts should prioritize patching sooner. Active exploitation is not currently reported.

Risk score, explained

CVSS 3.1 score of 6.5 (Medium) is driven by: (1) Network accessibility (AV:N)—the flaw can be triggered remotely via normal WordPress login; (2) Low attack complexity (AC:L)—no special conditions needed; (3) Low privilege requirement (PR:L)—subscriber role suffices; (4) No user interaction (UI:N); (5) Unchanged scope (S:U); (6) High confidentiality impact (C:H)—sensitive form data can be read; (7) No integrity or availability impact (I:N, A:N). The lack of widespread active exploitation and the authentication requirement prevent a higher score.

Frequently asked questions