● Medium · CVSS 6.5

How to Fix CVE-2026-28038: Missing authorization in Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder

Q: What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-28038?

6.5 (Medium). Vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`.

Q: Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-28038?

The vendor advisory is at [https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/ultimate_vc_addons/vulnerability/wordpress-ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder-plugin-3-21-1-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve](https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/ultimate_vc_addons/vulnerability/wordpress-ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder-plugin-3-21-1-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve). The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28038.

By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.

CVE-2026-28038 is a missing authorization in Brainstorm_Force Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder. The fix is to upgrade to Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 3.21.2.

⚡ At a glance


Severity	6.5 (Medium)
Actively exploited?	No public listing in CISA KEV
Affected	Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 0 to <=3.21.1
Fixed in	Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 3.21.2
Type (CWE)	CWE-862: Missing Authorization

What is CVE-2026-28038?

Missing Authorization vulnerability in Brainstorm_Force Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder ultimate_vc_addons allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder: from n/a through <= 3.21.1. The CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium). The official advisory is at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/ultimate_vc_addons/vulnerability/wordpress-ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder-plugin-3-21-1-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.

Am I affected?

Check the version of Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder you are running and compare it against the Affected row above (Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 0 to <=3.21.1). If your build sits inside the affected range, you must patch.

Run the version check that fits your platform:


# Linux package check
dpkg -s ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null
command -v ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder >/dev/null && ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder --version 2>/dev/null


# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Package -Name "*Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Version
winget list --name "Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder" 2>$null

How to fix CVE-2026-28038

Upgrade Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder to a patched build: Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 3.21.2. The vendor advisory is the source of truth for the exact fixed version.

Ubuntu / Debian


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder
dpkg -s ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder | grep -i ^Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux


sudo dnf upgrade --refresh ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder -y
# or for older releases:
sudo yum update ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder -y
rpm -q ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder

SUSE / openSUSE


sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder
rpm -q ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder

Node.js / npm


# Update the affected package in your project
npm install Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder@latest
npm ls Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder
npm audit fix

Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)


# Fix script for CVE-2026-28038 affecting Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath  = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-28038-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append

try {
    Write-Host "[1/4] Detect installed version"
    $pkg = Get-Package -Name "*Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($pkg) { $pkg | Format-Table Name, Version }
    else { Write-Host "Not detected via Get-Package; try winget list" }

    Write-Host "[2/4] Backup configuration"
    $backup = "C:\Backup\ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
    Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "[3/4] Apply the upgrade to Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 3.21.2"
    winget upgrade --name "Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        # Fallback: pull latest via OS update channel
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
        Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
    }

    Write-Host "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
    winget list --name "Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder"
    Write-Host "Patch applied. Reboot if prompted."
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
    exit 1
} finally {
    Stop-Transcript
}

Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)


#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-28038 affecting Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-28038-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1

echo "[1/4] Detect installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version || echo "ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder || echo "ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder not installed via rpm"
fi

echo "[2/4] Backup configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-28038-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder /etc/ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder.d /etc/ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder.conf; do
    [ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done

echo "[3/4] Apply the upgrade (target: Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 3.21.2)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
    apt-get update
    apt-get install --only-upgrade -y ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
    dnf upgrade --refresh -y ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
    yum update -y ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
    zypper --non-interactive update ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder
fi

echo "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder
fi
echo "Done. Restart any service that loaded the old library."

If you can't patch immediately

Apply at least one of the following inline controls until you can deploy the patched build. None replace the upgrade.

Restrict exposure with nftables (Linux)


# Allow only trusted CIDR to reach the affected service ports
sudo nft add table inet filter 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add chain inet filter input { type filter hook input priority 0 ; }' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add rule inet filter input tcp dport {80, 443} ip saddr != 10.0.0.0/8 drop'
sudo nft list ruleset

Block at the host firewall (Windows)


New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28038" -Direction Inbound -Action Block -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443 -RemoteAddress Any -Enabled True
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28038"

Disable the affected service (Linux)


sudo systemctl stop ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null || true
sudo systemctl disable ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null || true

If the vendor advisory lists an official workaround, prefer that wording verbatim. If no workaround is published, the only safe remediation is the patch.

How to verify the fix worked

After upgrading, confirm the installed version matches the patched build and that no old library is still loaded by a long-running process.


# Linux
dpkg -s ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder 2>/dev/null || true
# Pid map check for old library handles
sudo lsof +c0 2>/dev/null | grep -i "DEL.*lib" || true


# Windows
Get-Package -Name "*Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder*" | Select-Object Name, Version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Expected: the reported version is at or above Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 3.21.2. Restart the affected service (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, or restart the Windows service) so it loads the patched binary.

Frequently asked questions

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Is CVE-2026-28038 actively exploited?

There is no public confirmation of exploitation in the wild listed in CISA KEV at the time of this writing. Patch anyway. Public exploits commonly follow disclosure within weeks.

Do I need to reboot after patching CVE-2026-28038?

For kernel and OS-level updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough on Linux, and restarting the Windows service or app on Windows. Any process that loaded the old library keeps using it until restarted.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-28038?

6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.

Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-28038?

The vendor advisory is at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/ultimate_vc_addons/vulnerability/wordpress-ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder-plugin-3-21-1-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve. The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28038.

References

Official vendor advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/ultimate_vc_addons/vulnerability/wordpress-ultimate-addons-for-wpbakery-page-builder-plugin-3-21-1-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28038
CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*