ByteCoreStack <= 1.2.3 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation via wp_update_user_meta MCP Tool

Summary

The ByteCoreStack – MCP Connector for AI Tools plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.3 This is due to the `wp_update_user_meta` MCP tool in `execute_tool` gating writes solely with `current_user_can('edit_user', $uid)` — a check that WordPress core's `map_meta_cap` resolves to the `read` primitive when the target user ID matches the caller's own — while enforcing an incomplete meta key blocklist that covers only `user_pass`, `user_activation_key`, and `session_tokens`, leaving the `wp_capabilities` and `wp_user_level` meta keys entirely unprotected. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access and above to elevate their privileges to Administrator by issuing a `wp_update_user_meta` call over the MCP JSON-RPC endpoint with `key=wp_capabilities` and an arbitrary role array such as `{'administrator': true}` targeting their own user ID, causing WordPress to load that account as an Administrator on the next request.

Timeline

1. Oct 1, 2026, 7:40 AM UTCCVE published
2. Oct 3, 2026, 3:35 PM UTCCISA SSVC assessment

   Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

3. Oct 3, 2026, 3:42 PM UTCRecord last updated

Affected versions

• bytecorestack ByteCoreStack – MCP Connector for AI Tools

  through 1.2.3

References 13