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Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform Plugin Vulnerability (CVE-2026-77189)

Nick Paliughi
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Security Alert Summary

The Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress contains an SQL injection vulnerability in the order shortcode attribute of the [charitable_donors] shortcode. Authenticated users with contributor-level access and above can use a draft or pending post preview to provide a crafted value that may allow extraction of sensitive data from the database.

CVE Details

  • CVE ID: CVE-2026-77189
  • Affected component: Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) plugin for WordPress
  • Affected versions: all versions up to, and including, 1.8.12.1
  • Published: September 1, 2026 at 6:16:37 AM
  • Last modified: September 1, 2026 at 6:16:37 AM
  • CVSS v3.1: 6.5 (MEDIUM) — CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
  • Authentication / Privileges / User interaction: Authenticated attacker required; contributor-level access and above as stated in the description. Privileges required: LOW. User interaction: NONE.
  • Primary impact: Confidentiality: HIGH; Integrity: NONE; Availability: NONE
  • Weakness: CWE-89 (SQL Injection)

Technical Details

The plugin fails to properly escape and prepare user-supplied input provided via the order attribute of the [charitable_donors] shortcode. Insufficient escaping and lack of adequate preparation on the existing SQL query make it possible for an authenticated, low-privileged user to append additional SQL fragments to queries executed by the plugin. That appended SQL can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.

The vulnerability is reachable because the [charitable_donors] shortcode is accessible to users with Contributor-level access via draft or pending post previews. Code references point to the query and shortcode handling implementations (for example, files and classes such as abstract-class-charitable-query.php, class-charitable-donor-query.php, and class-charitable-donors-shortcode.php), where insufficient escaping and preparation occur.

Impact is limited to data exposure via crafted SQL in the context of the plugin’s queries. The issue does not, based on the provided information, assert direct modification of data or service disruption.

How This Could Impact Your Website

Imagine a small nonprofit site where the site owner manages fundraising pages, internal staff moderate donor lists, and an external contractor or contributor drafts campaign pages. A contributor who has access to draft or pending post previews could provide a specially crafted order attribute value in the [charitable_donors] shortcode. That crafted input could allow an attacker to retrieve sensitive information from the database, such as internal user email addresses or donor-related data.

Practical consequences include exposure of internal user or donor email addresses and an increased risk of targeted phishing or social engineering against staff or donors based on that exposed information. If you’re unsure whether your site is affected or how to assess your current user roles and plugins, it may be worth having a professional review.

Recommended Actions

  • Update the affected plugin as soon as a patched version is available.
  • Review and reduce unnecessary user roles, especially Contributor-level accounts.
  • Enforce strong passwords and two-factor authentication for editors and administrators.
  • Remove unused or unmaintained plugins.
  • Monitor site activity and logs for unusual behavior, especially accesses that use shortcode previews or unusual query parameters.

If you’d like help reviewing your plugins, user roles, or overall WordPress security posture, our team at Freshy is happy to help.

References

Nick Paliughihttps://freshysites.com/team/nick-paliughi/
Nick was born in California and now resides in Lake Worth, FL. He has 10 years of experience building and maintaining sites in WordPress, which he is excited to put to use at Freshy. Prior to starting at Freshy in 2022 his focus was on WordPress security & malware removal. When he’s not tending to your website, Nick is installing exhibitions at art galleries and museums in Palm Beach County, and if he’s lucky surfing at the Lake Worth pier.

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