Hackers Exploit WooCommerce Plugin Bug to Take Over WordPress Sites Without Login
Attackers exploit CVE-2026-27540 (CVSS 9.8) in WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture to upload PHP webshells without authentication.
Attackers are actively exploiting CVE-2026-27540, a CVSS 9.8 unauthenticated file upload flaw in the WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture plugin (versions through 2.0.3.1, ~6,000 active sites). The plugin trusts a client-supplied list of allowed file types, letting attackers upload PHP webshells (shell.php) via the admin-ajax.php handler without any WordPress account. Wordfence blocked more than 100,000 exploit attempts, with activity bursts June 4-17, July 1, and August 30; a patch is available in version 2.0.3.2.
- Unauthenticated file upload flaw CVE-2026-27540, CVSS 9.8
- Affects Wholesale Lead Capture through 2.0.3.1 on ~6,000 sites
- Wordfence blocked 100,000+ exploit attempts since June
- Webshell shell.php uploaded via wwlc_file_upload_handler action
- Patch available in plugin version 2.0.3.2
- CVEs
- CVE-2026-27540
Vulnerabilities mentioned
All| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Signals | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-27540 | Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability in Rymera Web Co Pty Ltd | 9.0 | 3% | PoC |
Indicators of compromise
auto-extracted · verify before use · export allAll| Type | Indicator | Context |
|---|---|---|
| ipv4 | 104.194.9.138 | urce of more than 6,600 blocked exploit requests IP address 104.194.9.138 Observed source of more than 6,100 blocked exploit requests |
| ipv4 | 114.10.43.203 | source of more than 470 blocked exploit requests IP address 114.10.43.203 Observed source of more than 310 blocked exploit requests I |
| ipv4 | 187.75.114.36 | urce of more than 6,100 blocked exploit requests IP address 187.75.114.36 Observed source of more than 470 blocked exploit requests I |
| ipv4 | 23.137.105.214 | urce of more than 9,100 blocked exploit requests IP address 23.137.105.214 Observed source of more than 6,700 blocked exploit requests |
| ipv4 | 23.180.120.140 | urce of more than 6,700 blocked exploit requests IP address 23.180.120.140 Observed source of more than 6,600 blocked exploit requests |
| ipv4 | 31.59.129.150 | rce of more than 24,900 blocked exploit requests IP address 31.59.129.150 Observed source of more than 24,000 blocked exploit request |
| ipv4 | 37.114.144.209 | source of more than 310 blocked exploit requests IP address 37.114.144.209 Observed source of more than 310 blocked exploit requests F |
| ipv4 | 92.241.13.140 | rce of more than 16,000 blocked exploit requests IP address 92.241.13.140 Observed source of more than 9,100 blocked exploit requests |
| ipv4 | 92.241.13.213 | f compromise (IoCs):- Type Indicator Description IP address 92.241.13.213 Observed source of more than 24,900 blocked exploit request |
From the original article
4 min read at cybersecuritynews.com
Attackers are actively exploiting a critical flaw in a WooCommerce extension to seize control of WordPress sites without a username or password. The issue affects Wholesale Lead Capture and turns a routine file-upload feature into a direct path to server access. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-27540, has a CVSS severity score of 9.
By Tushar Subhra Dutta · cybersecuritynews.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.