# CVE-2026-23550: Modular DS - Privilege Escalation

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2026-23550 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2026-23550

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 10.0
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Modular DS
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment)
- **Tags:** web_application

## Description

Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability in Modular DS allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects Modular DS: from n/a through 2.5.1.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2026-23550](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23550) is a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in Modular DS versions up to 2.5.1, caused by incorrect privilege assignment. This flaw allows attackers to gain elevated permissions, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or disruption of services.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 11th of February 2026.

CrowdSec network observations suggest that most exploitation of CVE-2026-23550 involves focused reconnaissance to identify viable targets. Attackers typically tailor their campaigns based on system exposure and configuration. It is unlikely that a given attack is accidental.
CrowdSec network telemetry also shows that exploitation of CVE-2026-23550 has significantly declined over the past week. Attack volumes are well below the long-term average, suggesting attackers are rapidly losing interest. The vulnerability appears to be falling out of active use across most threat landscapes.

Attackers exploit endpoints such as `/index.php/api/modular-connector/login/` and `/api/modular-connector/login/` to bypass authentication and escalate privileges, often indicated by a 302 redirect and the presence of a `wordpress_logged_in` cookie in the response.

## Timeline

- 2026-01-14: CVE Published. CVE-2026-23550 is published to NVD.
- 2026-02-11: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2026-23550 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2026-02-12: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2026-23550 for the first time.

## References

- https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/modular-connector/vulnerability/wordpress-modular-ds-monitor-update-and-backup-multiple-websites-plugin-2-5-1-privilege-escalation-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://help.modulards.com/en/article/modular-ds-security-release-modular-connector-252-dm3mv0/
- https://patchstack.com/articles/critical-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-modular-ds-plugin-affecting-40k-sites-exploited-in-the-wild/
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2026/CVE-2026-23550.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2026-23550) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2026-23550. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.