Privilege escalation in Pixelgrade Backstage – Customizer Demo Access
CVE-2026-9842
The Backstage - Customizer Demo Access plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.2. This is due to the plugin assigning the `manage_options` capability to the `backstage_customizer_user` demo role, which is more permissive than necessary for Customizer-only demo access. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to navigate beyond the Customizer and update arbitrary WordPress options such as `default_role`, leading to privilege escalation.
Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation
EPSS: 0.003 (17.4th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
Affected products
- Pixelgrade Backstage – Customizer Demo Access — versions 0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-9842?
- CVE-2026-9842 is a high-severity vulnerability in Pixelgrade Backstage – Customizer Demo Access, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-07-08.
- How severe is CVE-2026-9842?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.