CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2026-5464 — ExactMetrics security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.2

The ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized arbitrary plugin installation and activation in all versions up to, and including, 9.1.2. This is due to the reports page exposing the 'onboarding_key' transient to any user with the 'exactmetrics_view_dashboard' capability. This key is the sole authorization gate for the '/wp-json/exactmetrics/v1/onboarding/connect-url' REST endpoint, which returns a one-time hash (OTH) token. This OTH token is then the only credential checked by the 'exactmetrics_connect_process' AJAX endpoint — which has no capability check, no nonce verification, and accepts an arbitrary plugin ZIP URL via the file parameter for installation and activation. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Editor-level access and above granted the report viewing permission, to install and activate arbitrary plugins from attacker-controlled URLs, leading to Remote Code Execution.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.2 (3.1)
Published
2026-04-23
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
php/wordpress
Weaknesses
CWE-862

Affected products

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Matched remediation archetype

Authorization bypass, IDOR, and cross-tenant access

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Check exposure

  • Map object and action authorization checks across API, UI, batch, import/export, and background-job paths.
  • Identify tenant, ownership, role, and policy boundaries for affected resources and administrative operations.
  • Use synthetic fixtures to compare intended access matrices without accessing another user's real data.

Remediate safely

  • Enforce server-side authorization at each resource access and state transition using the authenticated principal and trusted tenant context.
  • Scope data queries by tenant and ownership; treat client-supplied identifiers, roles, and policy claims as untrusted.
  • Add deny-by-default policy tests for horizontal and vertical access across every affected transport.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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