# CVE-2026-1291: Jordy Meow Meow Gallery unauthorized data modification in REST API

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-1291-jordy-meow-meow-gallery-unauthorized-data-modification-in-rest-api  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-06-13. Updated: 2026-06-13  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-1291 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.3 · Published 2026-06-13

Meow Gallery is a WordPress plugin used to create and manage image galleries. A security flaw allows users with 'Author' level access or higher to modify or overwrite gallery settings and records that they do not own. This could lead to unauthorized changes to website content or the disruption of existing image galleries.

Vendors: [Meow Apps](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/meow-apps).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-1291 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-1291 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-1291?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.3, published 13 June 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Meow Apps Meow Gallery up to, and including, 5.4.4.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-1291?** A patch was published on 2026-02-25: Fixed in version 5.4.5 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-1291 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-1291?** Check whether you run Meow Apps Meow Gallery at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The Meow Gallery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) / Missing Authorization vulnerability in versions up to 5.4.4. The vulnerability exists within the REST API endpoint `/wp-json/meow-gallery/v1/save_shortcode` due to a missing capability check. Authenticated attackers with Author-level permissions or higher can exploit this by providing a user-controlled 'id' value to create or overwrite existing gallery shortcode records. The endpoint performs database update operations without verifying if the requesting user has the authority to modify the specific record. This issue was addressed in version 5.4.5 by updating permission checks to use the 'can_access_settings' capability.

## Affected products

- Jordy Meow Meow Gallery up to, and including, 5.4.4

## Timeline

- 2026-02-25: patched: Fixed in version 5.4.5
- 2026-06-13: disclosed: CVE published

## References

- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/meow-gallery/trunk/classes/rest.php](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/meow-gallery/trunk/classes/rest.php)
- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3469543/meow-gallery](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3469543/meow-gallery)
- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3469543/meow-gallery/trunk/classes/rest.php](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3469543/meow-gallery/trunk/classes/rest.php)
- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=%2Fmeow-gallery/tags/5.4.4&new_path=%2Fmeow-gallery/tags/5.4.5](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=%2Fmeow-gallery/tags/5.4.4&new_path=%2Fmeow-gallery/tags/5.4.5)
- [https://wordpress.org/plugins/meow-gallery/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/meow-gallery/)
- [https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3386ea07-9c61-4b54-a451-1178ca6325cb?source=cve](https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3386ea07-9c61-4b54-a451-1178ca6325cb?source=cve)