CVE-2026-9273 CRITICAL

CVE-2026-9273: Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships <= 4.0.0 - Unauthenticated Password Reset Link Poisoning to Account Takeover

Vendor Stellarwp
Product Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships
Weakness CWE-640 · Weak password recovery
Published August 5, 2026
Last update August 5, 2026

CVSS base score

9.3/10
Attack vector Network
Attack complexity Low
Privileges required None
User interaction Required
Confidentiality High
Integrity High

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

What the vulnerability does

01Description

The Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships plugin for WordPress (formerly Restrict Content) is vulnerable to password reset link poisoning leading to account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 4.0.0. This is due to the legacy lost-password handler rc_process_lost_password_form() consuming the attacker-controlled rc_redirect POST parameter into two unvalidated sinks in legacy/includes/forms.php: wp_redirect( esc_url( $_POST['rc_redirect'] ) . ... ) at line 243, and add_query_arg( array( 'key' => $key, 'login' => ... ), $_POST['rc_redirect'] ) inside rc_send_password_reset_email() at line 306. The nonce required to reach the handler is broadcast by the public [login_form] shortcode at line 207 to any anonymous visitor. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to issue a password-reset request for any account (including administrators) whose reset email body points the victim at an attacker-controlled host carrying a valid reset key/login. When the victim clicks the link, the reset key leaks to the attacker, who can replay it against the legitimate site to complete account takeover.

Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms

02Summary

Kadence Memberships versions 4.0.0 and earlier contain a weak password recovery mechanism that allows attackers to bypass password reset protections. An attacker can reset another user's password by exploiting insufficient validation of password recovery tokens. This affects user account security across the membership system.

What an attacker can do

03Attacker Capabilities

Reset another user's password and take over their membership account.

Potential impact on your site

04Site Impact

Member accounts can be compromised without the owner's knowledge, leading to unauthorized access to paid content and member data.

Conditions required to exploit

05Prerequisites

The victim must click a malicious link or visit a page the attacker controls; no authentication required.

Key dates

06Disclosure timeline

August 5, 2026 CVE published

Related vulnerabilities

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