Search: “WordPress.org”

WordPress Uses AI to Stop Malicious Plugin Updates Before They Reach Millions of Websites

WordPress.org now auto-blocks plugin updates flagged by AI review after a backdoor incident, adding a supply-chain gate for millions of sites.

Since June 5, 2026, every WordPress.org plugin and theme release passes a mandatory six-hour cooldown while multiple AI models and Jetpack Scan analyze code changes and produce a consolidated security score; releases above the risk threshold are blocked automatically. The change followed a July 28, 2026 incident where a backdoor was pushed into a plugin with roughly 20,000 active installs, which Wordfence flagged and the Plugins Team pulled 26 minutes later before distribution. Authors are notified of blocking findings and can republish corrected releases or appeal false positives to the Plugins Team.

Cyber Security News·updated Sep 11, 16:33 UTC · 4d ago·first Sep 10, 14:08 UTC · 6d agoTools 7 sources1

wp2shell: incident response guide (CVE-2026-63030 + CVE-2026-60137)

Eye Security published forensic IR tooling for wp2shell (CVE-2026-63030/CVE-2026-60137), the unauthenticated WordPress core RCE chain, after WordPress.org forced auto-updates.

wp2shell chains a REST API batch-endpoint route-confusion bug (CVE-2026-63030) with an SQL injection in WP_Query's author__not_in parameter (CVE-2026-60137), giving unauthenticated attackers rogue admin and code execution on default installs. Adam Kues of Searchlight Cyber discovered the flaw, a public PoC exists on GitHub, and WordPress.org forced automatic updates across an estimated 200M+ sites. Eye Security released a compromise-scanner WordPress plugin and browser extension and notes database artifacts (oEmbed cache rows, changesets) are the primary evidence since the attack is log-blind; fixed versions are 6.8.6, 6.9.5, and 7.0.2.

Web discovery (articles for new exploits & KEV entries)·Sep 8, 16:27 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 2 sourcesCVE-2026-63030CVE-2026-601371

WordPress 7.0.4 Release

WordPress releases 7.0.4 with a security fix and urges all sites to update immediately.

WordPress.org announced the availability of WordPress 7.0.4, a maintenance release containing a security fix. Because it is a security release, the project recommends updating sites immediately via the dashboard or a download from WordPress.org. The announcement gives no technical details about the flaw being patched.

WordPress.org · Security·Aug 12, 14:45 UTC · Aug 12, 2026Advisory

WordPress Adds Automated Plugin Reviews to Block High-Risk Updates Before Distribution

WordPress will automatically scan every plugin release and block high-risk updates from distribution using AI analysis plus Jetpack Scan.

WordPress announced automated security reviews for every plugin release during its cooldown period before distribution through the WordPress.org update API, combining AI models with Jetpack Scan into a security score. The system already caught a backdoor committed to a plugin with about 20,000 active installations on July 28, 2026, blocking it within 26 minutes of a Wordfence alert. Flagged patterns include missing capability checks, unsafe $wpdb queries, unserialize() on request data, and obfuscated code.

The Hacker News·Sep 14, 16:00 UTC · 1d agoTools

WordPress wp2shell Vulnerabilities Exploited in the Wild (CVE-2026 ...

Public exploit code emerged for the WordPress wp2shell pre-auth RCE chain (CVE-2026-63030, CVE-2026-60137); CISA set a July 24 patching deadline.

CVE-2026-63030 (REST API batch-route confusion) chained with CVE-2026-60137 (SQL injection in WP_Query's author__not_in) enables pre-authentication RCE in WordPress core, affecting versions 6.8.0-7.0.1. Multiple researchers published working PoCs on GitHub that extract password hashes, crack admin credentials, and upload malicious plugins. CISA added both CVEs to its KEV catalog with a July 24, 2026 deadline, and WordPress.org enabled forced auto-updates; fixes shipped in 6.8.6, 6.9.5, and 7.0.2.

Web discovery (articles for new exploits & KEV entries)·Sep 7, 14:13 UTC · 9d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-63030CVE-2026-60137

Critical WordPress Plugin Flaws Put Over 600,000 Websites at Risk of Takeover

Two CVSS 9.8 flaws in The Events Calendar WordPress plugin expose 600,000+ sites to unauthenticated RCE and admin takeover.

Wordfence Argus discovered CVE-2026-78006 and CVE-2026-78159 (both CVSS 9.8) in StellarWP's The Events Calendar plugin, affecting over 600,000 active installations. CVE-2026-78006 exploits PHP object injection via crafted pending comments to execute OS commands; CVE-2026-78159 abuses a specially prepared array to call WordPress functions, enabling admin password resets and subsequent RCE. Both flaws are unauthenticated and patched in version 6.17.4.1, released after reports on August 21-22, 2026.

Cyber Security News·updated 11:32 UTC · 2h ago·first Sep 15, 10:01 UTC · 1d agoVulnerability 3 sourcesCVE-2026-78006CVE-2026-78159

Five Critical WordPress Plugin and Theme Flaws Enable Site Takeover or RCE

Five critical flaws (CVSS 9.8–10.0) in WPMU DEV Dashboard, Avada, TranslatePress, Pods, and GiveWP enable WordPress admin takeover and RCE.

Wordfence and Patchstack disclosed five critical flaws in WordPress plugins and themes: WPMU DEV Dashboard, Avada, TranslatePress, Pods, and GiveWP. The issues include unauthenticated authentication bypass (CVE-2026-76581), arbitrary file write leading to RCE (CVE-2026-18431), administrator account takeover via password-reset URL exposure (CVE-2026-19632), privilege escalation (CVE-2026-19598), and PHP object injection to RCE (CVE-2026-82222, CVSS 10.0). Patchstack says the GiveWP flaw chains an unsafe unserialize helper, attacker-controlled donation data, and a gadget chain in shipped code.

The Hacker News·Aug 29, 16:25 UTC · 17d agoVulnerabilityCVE-2026-76581CVE-2026-18431CVE-2026-19632+2 CVEs

BdThemes Supply Chain Attack Poisons JSON to Create Rogue WordPress Admins

The Hacker News·Aug 11, 05:48 UTC · Aug 11, 2026VulnerabilityCVE-2026-18072CVE-2026-64638

Wordpress Fixes Critical Plugin

WordPress maintainers patched a critical vulnerability in a widely used plugin, urging site owners to update before potential exploitation.

WordPress has released a fix for a critical vulnerability affecting one of its plugins, per Infosecurity Magazine. Plugins in the WordPress ecosystem often power millions of sites, making timely patching important to limit exposure. The available information does not specify a CVE identifier, affected versions, or whether exploitation has been observed.

Infosecurity Magazine·Aug 15, 00:00 UTC · Aug 15, 2026Vulnerability

Week in review: Linux rootkit deployed on F5 BIG-IP APM devices, Cisco FMC bugs exploited

Weekly roundup: Cisco FMC and N-able N-central zero-days exploited in the wild, MikroTik RouterOS hijacks, Microsoft Patch Tuesday ships two exploited zero-days.

State-sponsored and financially-motivated attackers are actively exploiting CVE-2026-20079, a critical authentication bypass in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), alongside CVE-2026-20316. N-able issued an emergency hotfix for CVE-2026-86218, a critical pre-auth RCE in the N-central RMM platform exploited in the wild. CERT Polska disclosed six RouterOS vulnerabilities being chained to hijack internet-exposed MikroTik devices. Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday shipped a record patch count including two zero-days, while roughly 67,000 Trezor customers faced phishing after a shipping-partner breach and researchers privately disclosed a zero-click WeChat worm to Tencent.

Help Net Security·Sep 13, 08:00 UTC · 3d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-20079CVE-2026-20316CVE-2026-862182· 1 read

Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (August 31, 2026 to September 6, 2026)

Wordfence's weekly WordPress vulnerability report summarizes plugin and theme vulnerabilities disclosed and added to its database during the week ending September 6, 2026.

Wordfence published its weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report covering disclosures between August 31 and September 6, 2026. The report lists new vulnerabilities added to the Wordfence Intelligence Vulnerability Database and highlights contributors to WordPress Security. Administrators are advised to review the listed plugin and theme vulnerabilities to check whether their sites are affected.

Wordfence·Sep 10, 19:08 UTC · 5d agoAdvisory

Two CVSS 9.8 Auth Bypasses in miniOrange SAML WordPress Plugin Were Exploited Before Any Database Even Listed the Paid Editions as Vulnerable

Attackers actively exploit two CVSS 9.8 auth bypasses (CVE-2026-61979, CVE-2026-15981) in the miniOrange SAML WordPress plugin, forging SAML responses to become admin.

CVE-2026-61979 is a SAML algorithm confusion flaw that lets attackers sign forged assertions using the identity provider's RSA public key as an HMAC secret; CVE-2026-15981 stems from PHP treating openssl_verify()'s -1 error return as true, allowing a crafted signature that triggers an OpenSSL error to validate. Both bugs independently let unauthenticated attackers obtain WordPress administrator sessions and both are confirmed exploited in the wild. DigitalOcean discovered the exploitation via a network anomaly after public vulnerability databases covered only the Free edition (fixed in 5.4.5), leaving seven independently versioned paid editions appearing patched. Attackers are scanning SSO endpoints from six IPs in Belgium, Nigeria, the US and Germany, and paid-edition fixes require manual uploads across version lines.

Security Affairs·Aug 25, 16:43 UTC · 21d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-61979CVE-2026-15981

Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (August 24, 2026 to August 30, 2026)

Wordfence's weekly report summarizes newly disclosed WordPress ecosystem vulnerabilities added to its intelligence database for August 24-30, 2026.

Wordfence published its weekly WordPress vulnerability report covering disclosures added to the Wordfence Intelligence Vulnerability Database between August 24 and August 30, 2026. The report directs site owners to review the aggregated vulnerabilities to determine whether their sites are affected. The published text provides no specific CVE identifiers or affected products.

Wordfence·Sep 3, 18:27 UTC · 12d agoAdvisory

Malcious Admin Menu Editor Pro plugin backdoors 1,500 WordPress sites

Compromised Admin Menu Editor Pro update server distributed backdoored plugin versions installing web shells and hidden admin accounts on roughly 1,500 WordPress sites.

A threat actor with root-level access to adminmenueditor.com pushed trojanized Admin Menu Editor Pro versions 2.35 and 2.36 containing includes/wp-user-consent.php, which installed a web shell and created a hidden wp_-prefixed user account. At least 230 customers and roughly 1,500 sites installed the malicious update, with several hundred more downloads possibly affected. Developer Janis Elsts took the site offline after the attacker recompromised the clean 2.36 release; version 2.34 and the free plugin are believed unaffected.

BleepingComputer·Sep 15, 20:34 UTC · 17h agoMalware in the wild1

400,000 WordPress Sites Affected by Account Takeover Vulnerability in TranslatePress WordPress Plugin

Wordfence disclosed an unauthenticated account takeover flaw in the TranslatePress WordPress plugin, installed on over 400,000 sites, enabling full admin compromise.

On August 11, 2026, Wordfence received a submission for an unauthenticated account takeover vulnerability in TranslatePress, a WordPress plugin with more than 400,000 active installations. Unauthenticated attackers can obtain an administrator's password reset link, reset the account's password, and log in as that administrator. Full compromise of the affected site is possible without any authentication. Exploitation in the wild was not reported at disclosure.

Wordfence·Aug 25, 15:10 UTC · 21d agoVulnerability

FlyWP Adds Proactive Vulnerability Protection with Patchstack

FlyWP integrated Patchstack into its managed WordPress hosting platform via a new FlySecurity Pro add-on for proactive vulnerability protection.

FlyWP, a managed WordPress cloud hosting and server management provider, has integrated Patchstack vulnerability intelligence into its platform. The new FlySecurity Pro add-on gives customers proactive protection against WordPress vulnerabilities from a single dashboard. The announcement is a vendor partnership rather than a new flaw or incident.

Patchstack·Aug 17, 15:16 UTC · 29d agoTools1

Vulnerability & Patch Roundup — August 2026

Sucuri's monthly roundup compiles August 2026 security patches for the WordPress ecosystem to help site owners prioritize updates against automated exploitation.

Sucuri published its August 2026 Vulnerability & Patch Roundup summarizing essential security updates across the WordPress ecosystem. The post notes that most breaches the company observes begin with automated attacks exploiting previously disclosed vulnerabilities. It urges website operators to apply the listed plugin and theme patches promptly to avoid compromise and costly remediation. No specific CVE identifiers are named in the announcement.

Sucuri Blog·Sep 1, 00:00 UTC · 15d agoAdvisory

Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (August 17, 2026 to August 23, 2026)

Wordfence logged 240 disclosed vulnerabilities across 184 WordPress plugins and 17 themes for the week of August 17-23, 2026.

Wordfence's weekly WordPress vulnerability report for August 17-23, 2026 added 240 vulnerabilities to its Intelligence Vulnerability Database, affecting 184 plugins and 17 themes. 105 vulnerability researchers contributed during the period. WordPress administrators are advised to review the list to check whether their sites use affected components.

Wordfence·Aug 27, 14:56 UTC · 19d agoVulnerability

WordPress Security Plugins: How to Choose the Right One

Sucuri's guide breaks WordPress security plugins into hardening, malware scanning, integrity monitoring, and filtering types, and explains how to evaluate and layer them.

The Sucuri guide explains that WordPress security plugins bundle five capabilities - hardening, malware detection, integrity monitoring, activity logging, and application-level filtering - and that plugins run only after WordPress loads, unlike server-level firewalls. It lists leading causes of compromise: outdated plugins and themes, weak or reused credentials, nulled premium software, insecure configuration, and shared-hosting cross-contamination. It concludes with evaluation criteria and a post-installation security checklist for owners without dedicated security teams.

Sucuri Blog·Sep 5, 03:01 UTC · 11d agoIndustry

Boost Engagement with Free Passkeys by Wordfence

Wordfence 9 introduces free passkey support, letting WordPress users log in without passwords and reducing authentication friction.

Wordfence announced that version 9 of its WordPress security plugin introduces passkeys. The feature removes the need for users to remember or copy passwords from a manager. Wordfence is offering the passkey capability for free.

Wordfence·Sep 15, 19:55 UTC · 18h agoTools

WordPress XSS2Shell Flaw Turns Simple Login Bug Into Full Server Takeover

Security Affairs·Aug 7, 16:49 UTC · Aug 7, 2026Exploit / PoC1

WordPress Plugin Flaw Exposes 40,000 Sites to Admin Takeover

A critical unauthenticated flaw in the User Profile Builder WordPress plugin exposed roughly 40,000 sites to administrator account takeover.

Infosecurity Magazine reports a critical flaw in the User Profile Builder WordPress plugin that let unauthenticated attackers access administrator accounts. Approximately 40,000 sites were exposed to full admin takeover as a result. The report did not specify a CVE identifier or state whether exploitation was observed in the wild.

Infosecurity Magazine·Aug 17, 13:30 UTC · Aug 17, 2026Vulnerability

Plug 'n' Pray: Agentic LLM-based Detection of Potential Log File Exposures in Third-Party Content Management System Plugins

Agentic LLM analysis validates 79 log file exposures across 62 of the 300 most-installed WordPress plugins, covering 250M+ active installations.

Researchers built an agentic LLM-based framework combining static and dynamic analysis to automatically detect insecure log files created by WordPress plugins. Scanning the 300 most-installed plugins, which account for roughly 75% of all active installations in the official ecosystem, it produced 81 findings with 79 manually reproduced across 62 plugins. Insufficiently secured log files can disclose credentials and personal data and have led to website compromises. The authors derive a taxonomy of log path and protection patterns and best practices, finding multi-layered protection often absent.

arXiv cs.CR·Sep 15, 13:29 UTC · 1d agoResearch

5 Million WordPress Sites Affected by SQL Injection Vulnerability in All-in-One WP Migration and Backup WordPress Plugin

Unauthenticated second-order SQL injection found in All-in-One WP Migration and Backup plugin with 5+ million active installs.

Wordfence received a submission on August 14, 2026 for an unauthenticated second-order SQL injection vulnerability in the All-in-One WP Migration and Backup WordPress plugin. The plugin has more than 5 million active installations. The disclosure text does not include a CVE id, a patch version, or evidence of exploitation.

Wordfence·Sep 1, 15:26 UTC · 14d agoVulnerability

Thousands of Hacked WordPress Sites, One Operation: Unmasking StopAndProtect

Check Point uncovers the StopAndProtect ransomware operation infecting thousands of WordPress sites via ClickFix social engineering and PowerShell downloaders.

Check Point Research first observed the StopAndProtect ransomware family in mid-May 2026 and linked its infrastructure to thousands of hacked WordPress sites. The infection chain begins with ClickFix social engineering that prompts victims to run a PowerShell command, followed by two stages of additional downloaders. The research maps the shared infrastructure unifying the operation.

Check Point Research·Aug 18, 13:05 UTC · 29d agoRansomware in the wild

$20 per zero-day is already the WordPress plugin reality

TrendAI and CHT Security used an AI pipeline to find over 300 verified WordPress plugin zero-days at roughly $20 per vulnerability.

A pipeline built in three days by TrendAI and CHT Security, presented at Ekoparty Miami, paired AI-driven static analysis with automated Docker provisioning and Chrome DevTools MCP dynamic verification to surface more than 300 critical zero-days in WordPress plugins within 72 hours. The run consumed about 222 million tokens across 95 tasks, averaging roughly $20 per verified vulnerability, with findings including pre-auth RCE, SQL injection, privilege escalation, SSRF, and an AI-assembled downgrade attack chain. Dynamic verification eliminated over 80% of false positives, but manual review at 30-60 minutes per finding remains the bottleneck, straining ZDI and NIST triage backlogs.

Help Net Security·Aug 24, 04:21 UTC · 23d agoResearch1

Wordfence Argus Identifies Two Critical Unauthenticated Vulnerability Chains Leading to Remote Code Execution in The Events Calendar Plugin

Wordfence Argus found two critical unauthenticated RCE vulnerability chains in The Events Calendar WordPress plugin, active on over 600,000 sites.

Wordfence Argus identified two independent critical vulnerability chains in The Events Calendar WordPress plugin on August 21-22, 2026. Both chains originate in the plugin's widget-rendering pipeline and can lead to unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via two separate methods. The plugin is active on more than 600,000 websites.

Wordfence·Sep 14, 16:53 UTC · 1d agoVulnerability