CVE-2026-102397

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-102397 is an unauthenticated broken access control vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Ultimate Maps by Supsystic, affecting all versions up to and including 1.5.5. Because the flaw is reachable without authentication over the network, any remote attacker can interact with functionality that should require authorization, leading to low-impact confidentiality and integrity loss. Any WordPress site running a vulnerable version of this plugin exposes an unauthenticated access-control bypass, and no official patch is currently available.

Technical Analysis

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), a weakness class in which an application fails to enforce access control checks on a resource or action that requires them. The NVD description states the issue is an "Unauthenticated Broken Access Control" condition, which indicates that at least one plugin endpoint or action is exposed to unauthenticated network requests while relying on authorization logic that is either absent or insufficiently enforced.

In WordPress plugin architecture, access control is typically enforced through capabilities checks (for example, current_user_can()), nonce verification, and permission callbacks registered with the REST API or AJAX handlers. A missing-authorization flaw in this context means a request handler can be invoked by an anonymous user and will execute its privileged action without confirming that the caller holds the required capability. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) confirms three properties: the attack is performed over the network, no special conditions complicate exploitation, and no authentication or user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the vulnerable component does not extend its authority to affect other security domains.

Because only the vulnerability class and title are provided, the specific affected endpoint, action name, or parameter cannot be stated with confidence. Two properties are nonetheless clear from the description: exploitation is reachable anonymously, and the resulting impact is limited to low confidentiality and integrity effects (C:L/I:L), with no availability impact (A:N). This profile is consistent with an unauthenticated action that discloses non-sensitive data or permits a constrained, non-destructive state change — not a full administrative takeover or remote code execution primitive.

No public proof-of-concept, Nuclei template, or exploit code is currently available for this CVE. The technical detail in public sources is therefore sparse, and the analysis above remains at the vulnerability-class level.

Exploitation Scenarios

The following attack chain is inferred from the vulnerability class (unauthenticated broken access control) and the CVSS vector, not from any published exploit code. No public PoC is available; the sequence below describes how this class of flaw is typically weaponized against WordPress plugins.

1. Reconnaissance / target identification. An attacker enumerates WordPress sites and fingerprints the installed plugin. Because Ultimate Maps by Supsystic is a publicly distributed plugin, its presence can be inferred from page source references to plugin assets, from HTML markers associated with the map rendering component, or from plugin/version disclosure endpoints. Mass scanning for the plugin's known asset paths identifies candidate targets.

2. Triggering the flaw. The attacker sends an unauthenticated HTTP request (typically a GET or POST) targeting the plugin's vulnerable action. Because the authorization check is missing, the request is processed even though the caller holds no valid session, nonce, or capability. No credentials are required and no user interaction is needed, consistent with PR:N/UI:N.

3. Payload / execution (vulnerability-class level). The attacker manipulates the parameters consumed by the unprotected action to cause it to perform its privileged operation on the attacker's behalf. The precise parameter names and action identifiers are not specified in available data, so no specific request shape can be provided; the defining characteristic is that an anonymous request reaches and executes a handler that should have been restricted.

4. Post-exploitation impact. Successful exploitation yields low-level confidentiality and integrity effects (C:L/I:L) within the plugin's context. Depending on the exposed function, this could include retrieval of non-sensitive stored data or modification of plugin-managed content (for example, map or location data). There is no availability impact and no demonstrated path to code execution or privilege escalation from this CVE alone. An attacker would pair the result with other techniques to expand access.

Impact Assessment

The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.5 (Medium) with vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N. The subscores indicate:

• Attack Vector (Network): exploitable remotely over HTTP/HTTPS; no local access required.
• Attack Complexity (Low): no special conditions, race windows, or target-specific knowledge.
• Privileges Required (None): the attacker needs no account.
• User Interaction (None): no victim action required.
• Scope (Unchanged): impact is confined to the vulnerable plugin's security context.
• Confidentiality (Low) / Integrity (Low): limited data exposure and limited ability to alter data.
• Availability (None): no denial-of-service impact.

Business impact: Any WordPress site running Ultimate Maps by Supsystic <= 1.5.5 is exposed to anonymous abuse. The low confidentiality and integrity subscores bound the direct impact, but an unauthenticated access-control bypass still matters operationally: it removes an authentication barrier, can be chained with other flaws, and may erode trust in site integrity if plugin-managed content is modified. Blast radius is limited to sites with the affected plugin installed and enabled.

Detection Guidance

Sigma Rule

title: Unauthenticated Access to Ultimate Maps by Supsystic Plugin
id: 9c3f1a2e-7b4d-4e21-9f5a-102397cve26
status: experimental
description: Detects anonymous/unauthenticated requests reaching Supsystic Ultimate Maps plugin endpoints, consistent with CVE-2026-102397 broken access control.
references:
  - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102397
author: valtersit.com
date: 2026/01/01
logsource:
  category: webserver
  product: apache
detection:
  selection_uri:
    cs-uri-stem|contains:
      - '/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-maps'
      - '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
  selection_args:
    cs-uri-query|contains:
      - 'ultimate-maps'
      - 'supsystic'
      - 'ums_'
      - 'maps_'
  selection_unauth:
    sc-status: 200
  condition: selection_uri and selection_args and selection_unauth
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate anonymous front-end map rendering requests
level: medium
tags:
  - attack.t1190
  - cve.2026.102397

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2026_102397_Supsystic_Ultimate_Maps
{
    meta:
        description = "Detects Ultimate Maps by Supsystic plugin files for versions <= 1.5.5 associated with CVE-2026-102397"
        author = "valtersit.com"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102397"
        date = "2026-01-01"

    strings:
        $plugin = "ultimate-maps" ascii wide nocase
        $vendor = "supsystic" ascii wide nocase
        $header1 = "Plugin Name:" ascii wide
        $version = /Version:\s*1\.[0-5]\.[0-5]/ ascii wide

    condition:
        filesize < 5MB and
        ($plugin or $vendor) and $header1 and $version
}

Suricata IDS Rule

alert http any any -> $HOME_NET any (msg:"CVE-2026-102397 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic Broken Access Control Attempt"; flow:established,to_server; http.uri; content:"/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-maps"; http.uri; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http.uri; pcre:"/(ultimate-maps|supsystic|ums_|maps_)/Ui"; classtype:web-application-attack; reference:cve,2026-102397; metadata:affected_product WordPress, attack_target Web_Server; sid:2026102397; rev:1;)

Elastic Detection

sequence by source.ip with maxspan=30s
  [network where http.request.method in ("GET","POST") and
     wildcard(http.request.uri.path, "/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-maps*")]
  [network where http.request.method in ("GET","POST") and
     wildcard(http.request.uri.path, "/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php") and
     wildcard(http.request.uri.query, "*supsystic*")]

Splunk SPL Query

index=web sourcetype=access_combined
(uri_path="/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-maps*" OR uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php")
(uri_query="*ultimate-maps*" OR uri_query="*supsystic*" OR uri_query="*ums_*" OR uri_query="*maps_*")
status=200
| stats count min(_time) as first_seen max(_time) as last_seen by src_ip, uri_path, uri_query
| sort - count

Wazuh OSSEC Rule

<group name="web,wordpress,cve-2026-102397,">
  <rule id="102397" level="8">
    <if_sid>31100</if_sid>
    <id>^200$</id>
    <url>\/wp-content\/plugins\/ultimate-maps|ultimate-maps|supsystic</url>
    <description>CVE-2026-102397: Unauthenticated access to Ultimate Maps by Supsystic plugin</description>
    <mitre>
      <id>T1190</id>
    </mitre>
  </rule>
</group>

Mitigation & Patch Guidance

Patch confidence: 0/4 (UNPATCHED — no patch evidence from any tracked source).

1. Immediate mitigations. Because no vendor fix exists, restrict anonymous reach to the plugin's privileged functionality. Options include disabling the Ultimate Maps by Supsystic plugin until a patched release is published, or applying virtual patching at the WAF/reverse-proxy layer to block unauthenticated requests that target the plugin's action endpoints. Where the plugin is non-essential, deactivation is the most reliable containment.
2. Patch/upgrade steps. No official patch is available for versions <= 1.5.5. Monitor the vendor's distribution channels and the WordPress plugin repository for a release that addresses CVE-2026-102397, then update to the first fixed version. Until then, treat the plugin as vulnerable regardless of configuration and rely on compensating controls.
3. Long-term hardening. Enforce least privilege on all WordPress REST/AJAX handlers, require capability checks and nonce verification for state-changing actions, and audit third-party plugins for missing-authorization patterns (CWE-862). Add application-layer detection for anonymous requests to plugin endpoints, maintain an inventory of installed plugin versions, and remove unused plugins to reduce exposure surface.

References

• NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102397
• CWE-862 Missing Authorization: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/862.html
• WordPress Plugin Security / Hardening: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/security/
• CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog (no KEV listing for this CVE at time of writing)
• ATT&CK T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1190/

No public proof-of-concept, exploit code, or exploit-in-the-wild evidence (including threat actor campaigns) is currently known for CVE-2026-102397.