Riaxe Product Customizer WordPress Plugin Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2026-3596)

The Riaxe Product Customizer plugin for WordPress, versions 2.1.2 and earlier, contains a critical privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2026-3596). This flaw stems from an unauthenticated AJAX action, ‘wp_ajax_nopriv_install-imprint’, which is improperly secured. The corresponding function, ink_pd_add_option(), allows unauthenticated users to modify arbitrary WordPress options by sending POST requests. There are no nonce checks, capability checks, or input validation performed on the ‘option’ and ‘opt_value’ parameters, making it trivial to manipulate sensitive site settings. Successful exploitation allows attackers to grant themselves administrative privileges. This vulnerability poses a significant risk to any WordPress site using the affected plugin.

Attack Chain

1. An unauthenticated attacker identifies a WordPress site using a vulnerable version of the Riaxe Product Customizer plugin (<= 2.1.2).
2. The attacker crafts a malicious HTTP POST request targeting the /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php endpoint.
3. The POST request includes the action parameter set to install-imprint, triggering the vulnerable AJAX action wp_ajax_nopriv_install-imprint.
4. The attacker sets the option parameter to default_role and the opt_value parameter to administrator within the POST request. This will change the default user role to administrator.
5. The attacker sets the option parameter to users_can_register and the opt_value parameter to 1 within the POST request. This enables user registration on the WordPress site.
6. The ink_pd_add_option() function executes, calling delete_option() and add_option() with the attacker-supplied values, effectively updating the WordPress options table.
7. The attacker registers a new user account on the WordPress site.
8. Because user registration is enabled and the default user role is set to administrator, the attacker’s new account is granted administrator privileges, allowing full control over the WordPress site.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-3596 allows unauthenticated attackers to gain complete control over a vulnerable WordPress website. This can lead to website defacement, data theft, malware distribution, and denial of service. Given the widespread use of WordPress, this vulnerability has the potential to affect a large number of websites across various sectors. A successful attack would result in the attacker having the same access as the original website administrator.

Recommendation

• Immediately remove the Riaxe Product Customizer plugin from WordPress installations if it is present. This will eliminate the attack vector (plugin removal).
• Monitor web server logs (category: webserver, product: linux or windows) for POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the action parameter set to install-imprint using the Sigma rule provided below.
• Consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests matching the exploit pattern described in the Attack Chain.
• Review WordPress user accounts for any unauthorized administrators.