Plugin Name	My Calendar
Type of Vulnerability	Access control vulnerability
CVE Number	CVE-2026-7525
Urgency	Low
CVE Publish Date	2026-05-13
Source URL	CVE-2026-7525

Broken Access Control in My Calendar (<= 3.7.9) — What WordPress Site Owners Must Do Now

A low-severity but actionable broken access control vulnerability has been disclosed for the popular WordPress plugin “My Calendar” (Accessible Event Manager) affecting versions up to and including 3.7.9. The issue (CVE-2026-7525) allows an authenticated account with a certain custom role to publish events without the plugin performing the proper authorization checks. The vendor has released a patched version (3.7.10).

As defenders responsible for the security and availability of WordPress sites, you should treat this vulnerability seriously: although the attack surface is limited (an authenticated actor is required), it can still be abused for content spam, phishing links in calendar events, SEO manipulation, or reputation damage. This post explains the vulnerability, practical risk scenarios, how to detect exploitation, immediate and long-term mitigations, and how WP‑Firewall can help protect sites — including a free plan you can enable in minutes.

Note: this article avoids technical exploit proofs to prevent abuse. Focus is on detection, mitigation and remediation.

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TL;DR — What you must do right now

• If you have My Calendar installed: update immediately to version 3.7.10 or later.
• If you cannot update immediately: apply temporary mitigations (restrict access to event publication endpoints, harden custom roles and capabilities).
• Audit your site for suspicious published events and check who created them. Remove malicious events and revoke compromised accounts.
• Use a WAF / virtual patching solution (such as WP‑Firewall) to block attempts to publish events by unauthorized users until you can update.
• Rotate admin and user passwords, enable strong authentication for privileged accounts, and run a full malware scan.

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What exactly is the vulnerability?

The issue is a broken access control condition in My Calendar plugin versions <= 3.7.9. A function that handles publication of events lacks a reliable authorization check (for example: missing capability/nonce/role verification) allowing a non-privileged authenticated user (typically a user with a certain custom role or modified capability set) to submit requests that set event status to “publish” and thereby create or make events public without the intended permission checks.

Key facts:

• A malicious actor must already have an authenticated account on the site (even a low-privilege or custom role).
• The vulnerability does not allow remote unauthenticated takeover, but it does let an authenticated user escalate an action (publish events) if the plugin omits authorization.
• Patched in My Calendar 3.7.10 — update the plugin.

Although labeled low severity (CVSS 4.3), the actual business risk varies by site: a busy events calendar can be an attractive vector for spam/phishing links; government, nonprofit or educational calendars may be targeted to spread disinformation or hide malicious content in event notifications.

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Likely exploitation scenarios

Understanding how attackers can misuse a seemingly low-severity bug helps prioritize response:

1. Spam and SEO abuse
   Attacker publishes multiple events containing external links to spammy sites. These events are indexed and can harm site SEO reputation.
2. Phishing and drive-by scams
   Publish fake events with malicious links or attachments that look legitimate because they appear on your site’s calendar.
3. Reputation damage
   Malicious or offensive events published publicly harm the organization’s image.
4. Social engineering
   Create fake events that invite users to “confirm details” on a malicious page; used to trick admins or subscribers into revealing credentials.
5. Backdooring distribution
   Event descriptions may contain obfuscated links to malware or redirectors which are broadcast in email digests or feeds.

Even if an attacker cannot escalate to other site-wide privileges, the ability to publish content is often enough to create disruptive or harmful outcomes. That’s why even a “low” CVSS score needs timely action.

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Immediate detection checklist — scan and find suspicious indicators

If you run My Calendar on any website, check for signs of abuse now. These are prioritized checks you can run quickly.

1. Search for recently published events
   Using WP-CLI (run from your server shell):

# Find events published in the last 30 days
wp post list --post_type=mc_event --post_status=publish --format=csv --fields=ID,post_title,post_date,post_author | awk -F, -vDate="$(date -d '30 days ago' '+%Y-%m-%d')" 'BEGIN{OFS=","} NR==1{print $0; next} $3>=Date{print $0}'

If mc_event isn’t the plugin’s post_type on your install, inspect the plugin files to confirm the event post type name.

2. Look for publish events created by low-privilege users
   Query the database:

SELECT p.ID, p.post_title, p.post_date, p.post_status, p.post_author, u.user_login, u.user_email
FROM wp_posts p
LEFT JOIN wp_users u ON p.post_author = u.ID
WHERE p.post_type = 'mc_event'
  AND p.post_status = 'publish'
  AND p.post_date >= DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 30 DAY)
ORDER BY p.post_date DESC;

Examine whether authors are admin accounts or low-privilege accounts. If low-privilege accounts have published events, investigate.

3. Audit recent role and capability changes
   Use WP-CLI to list roles and capabilities:

wp role list --format=json | jq .
# List custom roles and check capabilities for ability to publish events
wp role get <role> --fields=capabilities --format=json

Look for non-standard capabilities like publish_events, edit_events assigned to non-admin roles.

4. Check server logs for suspicious POST calls to plugin endpoints
   Search web server or application logs for POST requests that contain parameters like event_status=publish, suspicious AJAX calls to admin-ajax.php that relate to the plugin, or requests to plugin endpoints with event data.

Example grep:

grep -R "event_status=publish" /var/log/nginx/* /var/log/apache2/* || true
grep -R "my-calendar" /var/log/nginx/* /var/log/apache2/* || true

5. Monitor outgoing email / notification systems
   If your site sends event notifications, review the sending logs for messages that reference new events published by unexpected accounts.
6. File and content checks
   • Check event content for obfuscated URLs, scripts, or redirections.
   • Use your malware scanner to scan post content and media uploads.

If you find evidence of malicious events, export and save logs and database records before making changes — this helps incident analysis.

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Immediate mitigations (if you cannot update right away)

If you cannot update My Calendar to 3.7.10 immediately (for example due to staging/testing constraints or live-site scheduling), put short-term mitigations in place:

1. Block the attack vector with a WAF / virtual patching
   • Configure a rule that detects requests that attempt to set event status to publish (e.g., parameter name like event_status=publish or similar) for non-admin sessions and block them.
   • Block suspicious AJAX endpoints used by the plugin from being called by non-privileged users.
   • A WAF provides immediate risk reduction while you test and deploy the plugin update.
2. Restrict new event publication to administrators only
   Temporarily remove publish_events capability from all roles except admins. Use WP-CLI:

# Remove publish_events capability from a role called 'editor' (example)
wp role remove-cap editor publish_events

If publish_events is a plugin-defined capability, remove or restrict it across roles.

3. Disable public event creation UI for logged-in users
   • If the plugin exposes frontend event submission, turn it off until patched.
   • Alternatively, restrict that page to administrators via a plugin like Members (or manual capability checks in theme templates).
4. Disable affected plugin temporarily (if appropriate)
   If the calendar is non-essential for a short window, consider deactivating the plugin and restoring a static calendar until you can patch.
5. Enforce stronger login controls
   Force password resets for users who have publishing capability and enable 2FA for administrators.
6. Monitor logs and user activity
   Increase logging and watch for attempts to create/publish events. Put alerts in place for any POST to the plugin’s endpoints that contain event data or publish status changes.

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How WP‑Firewall helps (virtual patching + protection)

At WP‑Firewall we provide layered protection designed for WordPress sites: managed WAF, malware scanning, behavioral detection and virtual patching — features that buy you time while you roll out plugin updates.

What our platform does in this scenario:

• Virtual patching: We can deploy a rule to block requests that try to publish events via the vulnerable plugin API/endpoint for non-admin users, preventing abuse immediately.
• Malware scanning: Our scanner identifies suspicious event content or malicious payloads embedded in posts and media.
• Mitigation of OWASP Top 10: Rules that detect and block common attack patterns used in content injection and access control abuse.
• Role and capability hardening guidance: We provide tools and reports to help you find misconfigured custom roles and excessive capabilities.
• Alerts and monitoring: We notify you of anomalous event publication activity so you can respond quickly.

If you’re evaluating protection options and want to test basic protections without commitment, try the WP‑Firewall Basic (Free) plan which includes our managed firewall (WAF), unlimited bandwidth, malware scanner, and baseline protection against OWASP Top 10 threats. (See below for details and how to sign up.)

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Sample WAF rules and signatures (conceptual)

Below are conceptual examples of patterns you can use in a WAF or server-side rule engine to mitigate this specific problem until you update the plugin. These are illustrative — adapt and test for your environment.

1. Block POST requests that include an attempt to set event_status=publish unless user is admin

# Block suspicious publish attempts from non-admin users
SecRule ARGS:event_status "@streq publish" 
    "id:100001,phase:2,deny,log,msg:'Block attempt to publish My Calendar event by non-admin',chain"
    SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Cookie "!@contains wp-admin" "t:none"

2. Block AJAX submissions from the plugin endpoint that include action=my_calendar_save_event and a non-admin session

SecRule ARGS:action "@streq my_calendar_save_event" "id:100002,phase:2,deny,log,msg:'Block My Calendar AJAX save from non-admin'"
SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Cookie "!@contains wp-session-admin" "t:none"

3. Simple Nginx+Lua or PHP check at theme level (quick mitigation)

Add a check in theme functions.php for frontend event submissions to validate current_user_can('manage_options') before allowing publish:

add_action('init', function() {
    if (isset($_POST['event_status']) && $_POST['event_status'] === 'publish') {
        if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
            wp_die('Unauthorized', 'Forbidden', array('response' => 403));
        }
    }
});

Caveat: modifying theme code is a stopgap and must be tested. Prefer virtual patching or plugin update.

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Remediation and clean-up checklist

Once you’ve updated to My Calendar 3.7.10, follow these remediation steps to ensure there was no lingering impact:

1. Update the plugin
   • Install the patched plugin version (3.7.10+).
   • Test calendar functionality on staging first where possible.
2. Review and remove malicious events
   • Export and then remove any suspicious events.
   • If events were emailed, examine mail logs to determine recipients.
3. Audit user accounts and roles
   • Identify accounts that published events; confirm whether they should have that capability.
   • Disable or reset passwords on suspicious accounts.
   • Remove unexpected capabilities from custom roles.
4. Check for persistence/backdoors
   • Scan file system for recently modified files and PHP code injection.
   • Check for new admin users, suspicious scheduled tasks (cron), or modified theme/plugin files.
5. Revoke API keys and rotate credentials if necessary
   If any API keys or third-party integrations may have been abused, rotate them.
6. Restore from clean backup (if compromise is broad)
   If you detect a broad compromise, a staged restore from a clean backup may be safer than piecemeal cleanup.
7. Monitor closely
   Increase log retention and monitoring for at least 30 days after remediation.
8. Communicate
   If external parties were affected (e.g., users received phishing), notify stakeholders and advise them to ignore suspicious links.

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Hardening recommendations to reduce future exposure

Use these best practices to lower risk from similar plugin vulnerabilities in future:

• Principle of least privilege: Assign only required capabilities to roles. Avoid granting publish capabilities to generic user roles.
• Use role management plugins or WP-CLI to audit capabilities regularly.
• Limit plugin installations: Keep third-party plugins to a minimum and vet maintainers and update cadence.
• Keep WordPress core, themes and plugins updated. Apply updates in a staging environment first where possible.
• Content moderation: If your site allows user-submitted content, enable moderation workflows so new content is reviewed prior to publication.
• Use strong authentication: enforce strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for all admin-level users.
• Implement virtual patching: WAF and managed firewall solutions can block exploit attempts while you test or deploy fixes.
• Regular backups with verified restore procedures.

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Detection recipes and useful commands

Quick commands and SQL to help you search for suspicious activity.

1. Find events created by non-admin users in the last 7 days:

SELECT p.ID, p.post_title, p.post_date, p.post_author, u.user_login, u.user_email, u.user_registered
FROM wp_posts p
JOIN wp_users u ON p.post_author = u.ID
WHERE p.post_type = 'mc_event'
  AND p.post_status = 'publish'
  AND p.post_date >= DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 7 DAY)
ORDER BY p.post_date DESC;

2. List users who can publish posts or custom event types:

# Check capabilities for a given role, e.g. 'author', 'contributor', 'subscriber'
wp role get author --fields=capabilities --format=json | jq .

3. Find event posts that contain external HTTP links (possible spam):

SELECT ID, post_title, post_author, post_date
FROM wp_posts
WHERE post_type = 'mc_event'
  AND post_content LIKE '%http://%'
  AND post_date >= DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 30 DAY);

4. Search for files modified recently (possible backdoor):

find /var/www/html -type f -mtime -7 -iname '*.php' -ls

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Incident response playbook (step-by-step)

If you confirm abuse, follow a structured response:

1. Contain
   • Apply WAF rule(s) to block further publish attempts.
   • Temporarily disable event submission features.
   • Force password reset for compromised accounts.
2. Preserve evidence
   • Export logs, database records, and copies of malicious posts.
   • Record timestamps and request headers for audit trail.
3. Eradicate
   • Remove malicious events and any related malicious files.
   • Update plugin to patched version.
   • Tighten role permissions and disable suspicious accounts.
4. Recover
   • Restore any deleted or altered legitimate content from backups if needed.
   • Test site functionality and monitor for reoccurrence.
5. Post-incident
   • Run a full security audit and malware scan.
   • Update incident timeline and response process document.
   • Consider enabling additional monitoring or a managed security service.

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Frequently asked questions

Q: If my site doesn’t allow user registration, am I safe?
A: The vulnerability requires an authenticated account. If your site does not allow user registration and you have not created custom user accounts for external parties, your immediate risk is lower. However, if any account has already been compromised (phished credentials or reused passwords), the vulnerability could still be exploited. Patch and monitor regardless.

Q: Is this vulnerability exploitable remotely without any login?
A: No — an authenticated user is required.

Q: I updated to 3.7.10; do I still need to check my site?
A: Yes. Update to the patched version to stop new exploit attempts, but you should still audit for any malicious events that may have been published prior to the patch.

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Real-world examples (what to look for)

• A rush of new events with similar phrasing and outbound links posted within a short time window.
• Newly published events authored by users that normally never publish content (for example, customers or contributors).
• Event descriptions containing shortened or obfuscated URLs, base64 strings or HTML <script> tags.
• Alerts from your malware scanner about suspicious content in posts or media uploads attached to events.

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Why you should layer WAF with plugin updates

Patching is the primary fix — but in real operations patches cannot always be applied instantly across hundreds or thousands of sites. A managed Web Application Firewall (WAF) and virtual patching provide critical time-buffering:

• Immediate blocking of known exploit patterns.
• Stops automated mass-exploit campaigns that scan for vulnerable plugin versions.
• Provides logs and alerts so you can see attempted abuse and scope.

WP‑Firewall’s managed firewall and virtual patching can be enabled quickly to block event-publish attempts tied to the My Calendar vulnerability while you schedule and verify plugin updates.

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Closing thoughts from the WP‑Firewall team

This My Calendar vulnerability is a reminder of two things:

1. Even “low” severity access control issues can lead to meaningful damage when they enable content publication or distribution vectors. Attackers don’t always need root access — content abuse and phishing are powerful.
2. Fast detection plus layered defenses are your best insurance. Updating plugins is essential — but so is virtual patching, ongoing scanning, capability audits and role hygiene.

If you manage multiple sites or are responsible for client sites, make updating and capability audits a routine part of your maintenance cycle. Use automation where possible to keep plugins up to date on staging and production, and keep emergency WAF rules ready to apply in minutes.

If you need help implementing virtual patching, setting WAF rules, or running an incident response for potential abuse of this vulnerability, our team at WP‑Firewall can assist. For immediate protection without cost, sign up for the Basic (Free) plan and enable managed WAF and malware scanning in minutes: https://my.wp-firewall.com/buy/wp-firewall-free-plan/

Stay safe,
WP‑Firewall Security Team