WordPress | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Details have emerged about a high-severity security flaw in the Elementor Website Builder WordPress plugin that could be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker to create rogue administrator accounts and take control of a site. The cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability, which has yet to be assigned a CVE identifier, carries a CVSS score of 8.8 out of 10.0. It only affects versions 4.3.0 and 4.3.1 of the plugin, which is active on over 10 million WordPress sites. Statistics from WordPress.org show that the two impacted versions alone have been installed on more than 2 million sites. "One link, opened by a logged-in WordPress user, makes that user carry out any REST API action their account is permitted to perform," Patchstack said . "On a stock installation, an administrator clicking the link creates a second administrator account for the attacker." The WordPress security company said the attack does not hinge on any prerequisite, such as JavaScrip...

ClickFix has become the most common way attackers get into enterprise networks, and it does it without an exploit, an attachment, or a file on disk. Our new global threat report traces the technique from a novelty in late 2023 to a subscription product with on-chain infrastructure and a state-sponsored user base, and explains why blocking malicious domains is no longer a useful defense. Read the full report here:   https://www.ctm360.com/reports/clickfix-beyond A particular kind of security problem no patch will close. ClickFix is one of them. The attack begins with a page that presents a problem the user believes is theirs to solve. A human verification check that will not complete. A browser that cannot render the page. A document that will not open. A Mac that is running low on storage. The page offers a remedy in the form of instructions, quietly writes the "fix" to the clipboard, and asks the user to open a system interface they already trust, paste, and press Ent...

Threat actors have begun to actively exploit a critical security flaw in WordPress within hours of public disclosure. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-87902 (CVSS score: 9.2), which could allow an unauthenticated attacker to obtain remote code execution (RCE). "An unauthenticated attacker can make get_page_template() page-template resolution include a chosen readable local .php file outside the active theme directories," WordPress said in an advisory released two days ago. "If relevant preconditions for both the server environment and the active theme are met, this can lead to RCE." Successful exploitation hinges on meeting the two pre-requisites - The active child or parent theme contains a top-level directory whose name starts with page- (e.g., page-templates). A chosen local .php target file exists on the server and is readable by the web server account. (e.g., pearcmd.php). In a statement shared with The Hacker News, Previdian said it...

A flaw in cPanel's  CalDAV and CardDAV service  lets anyone with a cPanel hosting account run code as root and take "full control of the server," the company said on September 22. A  second bug in the WP Toolkit plugin, used to install and manage WordPress sites, allows an account holder to change databases that belong to other accounts. cPanel has released fixed versions for both, along with a fix for a  third flaw  in the same service, which stores each account's calendars and contacts. That third flaw lets a local user on the server read other accounts' calendar events and contacts, but not change them or gain root access. cPanel lists no requirements for the root flaw other than having an account. On a shared server where a hosting provider sells accounts to the public, that means any customer could use it. So could anyone who gets hold of a customer's login. The three flaws and the versions that fix them:

WordPress has fixed a critical flaw in its core software that lets an attacker with no account make a site load a PHP file from outside its theme folders. On some servers, that can go further, allowing the attacker to run their own code. The fix shipped on September 22 in WordPress 7.1.2, with fixes for every branch the project still supports, back to 4.7, and WordPress is telling site owners to  update now . WordPress rates the flaw as critical, assigns it a CVSS score of 9.2, and assigns it  CVE-2026-87902 . Reaching it requires no account and no action from a logged-in user. Every version from 4.7.0 through 7.1.1 is affected. That includes 7.1.1, from WordPress's  September 17 security release , so a site updated less than a week ago still needs this one. It is a separate flaw from the ones that the release fixed.

A new flaw in WordPress core let an anonymous visitor leave a comment that planted a hidden script on the page. If a logged-in administrator later opened that page, the script could run code on the site's server. WordPress fixed the flaw, tracked as  CVE-2026-93485  and called " Comment2Shell ," on September 17 in  version 7.1.1  and told site owners to update right away. There is no sign it has been used in attacks, and it is not on the U.S. government's list of actively exploited software flaws. Patchstack, the company that assigned that identifier, rated the flaw 7.1 out of 10 on the CVSS scale. WordPress checks a comment for dangerous HTML when it is saved, then reformats it when the page is shown, and the flaw sat in the gap between those two steps. Rafie Muhammad, the security researcher who reported the bug, laid out the full chain in  a write-up  on September 21. The trick was a line break placed inside the attribute of an allowed HTML tag ...

WordPress today released patches to fix a new set of vulnerabilities in its core software, one of which could allow a crafted web link, opened by a logged-in administrator, to install a theme from the official WordPress.org directory without anyone clicking Install. The security firm pwn.ai , whose researchers reported the flaw, calls the attack chain Click2Shell . On its own the flaw only installs a real theme that the attacker picks, but the security research team showed it could be combined with a separate weakness in a theme to run the attacker's own code on the server.  The fix shipped on September 17 in WordPress 7.1.1 . Because this is a security release, WordPress advises updating right away. There is no sign the flaw has been used in real attacks. The installed theme stays switched off, so the site's own appearance does not change and nothing looks wrong. Reaching code execution needed a second, separate flaw in the theme that was installed. As pwn.ai wrote of t...

Threat actors are exploiting a critical security flaw in WooCommerce Wholesale Lead Capture, a premium WordPress plugin that has more than 6,000 active installs. "This vulnerability can be leveraged by unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files, including PHP backdoors, and achieve remote code execution," Wordfence said . The WordPress security company said it has blocked over 100,000 exploit attempts targeting the vulnerability since June 2026, with 99 of those attack attempts recorded over the past 24 hours. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-27540 (CVSS score: 9.8). The issue is a case of arbitrary file uploads due to missing file type validation in an AJAX action named "wwlc_file_upload_handler" that impacts all versions of the plugin up to, and including, 2.0.3.1. This opens the door for an unauthenticated attacker to upload arbitrary files on the affected site's server, paving the way for remote code execution. In the attack obse...

WordPress has announced it's launching an automated security review for every release of a plugin before it's distributed through the WordPress.org update API so as to analyze it for potential security issues and ensure there are no risks involved. "New plugins are reviewed before they enter the directory, but updates ship continuously after that," David Perez, WordPress Official Plugin Repository Team Co-Lead, said . "A plugin can be secure today and introduce a vulnerability, or malicious code, in a future release." WordPress said the lack of a "consistent review step" between the commit of a release and the release of a plugin to downstream users meant that it could open the door for malicious attacks. The content management system (CMS) platform noted that its automated review detected a backdoor committed to a release of a plugin with about 20,000 active installations on July 28, 2026. Because the release was within a cooldown window, ...

Threat actors are exploiting two critical security flaws in WordPress plugins Super Forms and Elementor Pro, according to findings from Wordfence. The vulnerabilities in question are - CVE-2026-14894 (CVSS score: 9.8) - A missing file type validation vulnerability in Super Forms – Drag & Drop Form Builder that allows unauthenticated attackers to upload files of any type, including executable PHP files, leading to remote code execution. (Fixed in version 6.3.314) CVE-2026-32475 (CVSS score: 9.0/9.8) - A vulnerability in Elementor Pro that allows unauthenticated attackers to upload files of any type, including executable PHP files, leading to remote code execution. (Fixed in version 4.2.2) As with arbitrary file upload vulnerabilities of this kind, an attacker can leverage them to write a PHP web shell to the site and execute arbitrary code, which can then be abused to create administrator accounts, exfiltrate data, or seize control of the entire WordPress site. It...

Multiple critical security flaws have been disclosed in WordPress plugins and themes, including WPMU DEV Dashboard, Avada, TranslatePress, Pods, and GiveWP, that could lead to authentication bypass, account takeover, and arbitrary code execution. The vulnerabilities, according to Wordfence and Patchstack, are listed below - CVE-2026-76581 (CVSS score: 9.8) - An authentication bypass flaw in the WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin that could allow an unauthenticated attacker, on sites connected to WPMU DEV with Hub Single-Sign On (SSO) enabled and mapped to an administrator, to obtain administrator access and achieve site takeover. (Affects all versions up to, and including, 5.0.1) CVE-2026-18431 (CVSS score: 9.8) - An arbitrary file write flaw in the Avada theme for WordPress that makes it possible for an unauthenticated attacker to write attacker-controlled files to the server, which, in turn, can be exploited to create and execute arbitrary PHP files, resulting in remote code exec...

Bad actors are attempting to exploit two severe unauthenticated authentication bypasses in the Xecurify miniOrange SAML 2.0 Single Sign On plugin that make it possible for an attacker to sign in as any WordPress user, including administrators. The vulnerabilities, as disclosed by Patchstack , are listed below - CVE-2026-61979 (CVSS score: 8.1) - An unauthenticated privilege escalation vulnerability stemming from signature algorithm confusion (Fixed in version 17.0.5 for the Standard edition) CVE-2026-15981 (CVSS score: 9.8) - An authentication bypass vulnerability stemming from accepting malformed signatures as valid (Fixed in version 17.0.6 for the Standard edition) "This is due to the mo_saml_validate_signature() function performing a loose boolean check on the raw tri-state integer returned by PHP's openssl_verify(), causing an error return value of -1 to be evaluated as truthy and therefore treated as a successful signature verification," according to a...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a global cybercrime operation that abuses thousands of hacked WordPress websites as infrastructure to disseminate malware, commandeer infected hosts, store stolen documents, screenshots, and activity logs created to track the status of the activity. "The operation doesn't rely on a single piece of malware, but on a whole toolkit of criminal software working together – some components encrypt files, others silently steal documents or lock the screen, and another acts as a live chat between the attackers and their victims," Check Point Research's Jaromír Hořejší said . The large-scale campaign is being tracked by the cybersecurity company under the moniker StopAndProtect after discovering a ransomware family of the same name in mid-May 2026. The infection chain begins with a ClickFix social engineering attack, resulting in the execution of a PowerShell command that leads to the deployment of additional .NET downloaders and l...

A critical security flaw has been disclosed in Forminator Forms, a WordPress plugin with more than 600,000 active installations, that could be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution on susceptible sites. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-15748 , is rated 9.8 out of 10.0 on the CVSS scoring system. It was discovered and reported by a security researcher who goes by the online alias "daroo." "This vulnerability makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files, including executable PHP files, to a vulnerable site, which can lead to remote code execution and complete site compromise," Wordfence said in a report published today. That said, a key prerequisite for successful exploitation is that the sites must have a form containing both a File Upload field and a Select field. The vulnerability impacts all versions of the plugin before and including 1.56.1. It has been addressed in version 1.56.2 released on July 31, 2026. Pe...

Cybersecurity researchers have warned of a supply chain compromise impacting WordPress plugin vendor BdThemes, prompting the content management systems (CMS) platform's plugins team to temporarily disable their downloads. "Unlike traditional software supply chain attacks, zero source code files were modified within the official WordPress.org repository," Wordfence researcher Paolo Tresso said . "Instead, threat actors poisoned a static remote JSON data stream fetched by an administrative promotional banner component." The list of affected plugins is below - Element Pack Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons [bdthemes-element-pack-lite] - 100,000+ active installs Live Copy Paste for Elementor – Cross Domain Copy Paste & Page Duplicator [live-copy-paste] - 6,000+ active installs Pixel Gallery Addons for Elementor – Easy Grid, Creative Gallery, Drag and Drop Grid, Custom Grid Layout, Portfolio Gallery [p...

WordPress has fixed a pre-authentication reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw in its login screen that affects every version of the content management system. pwn.ai demonstrated how the flaw can be chained into PHP code execution on the server when a logged-in administrator interacts with an attacker-controlled page. Tracked as  CVE-2026-64638  (CVSS score: 8.9), the high-severity vulnerability requires no attacker privileges. According to pwn.ai , which discovered the flaw and shared technical details with The Hacker News, the login-page XSS requires no authentication. Once a crafted username reaches the failed-login error page, the resulting JavaScript executes in the visitor's browser with no further interaction required on that page. The code-execution path requires a victim already logged in as an Administrator and explicit interaction with an attacker-controlled page. In pwn.ai's demonstration, that interaction is one ordinary click. The researchers told The...

A high-severity security flaw impacting open-source developer platform Windmill has come under active exploitation in the wild, per VulnCheck. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-29059 (CVSS score: 7.5), a case of unauthenticated path traversal impacting Windmill's "get_log_file" endpoint ("/api/w/{workspace}/jobs_u/get_log_file/{filename}"). "The filename parameter is concatenated into a file path without sanitization, allowing an attacker to read arbitrary files on the server using ../ sequences," according to an advisory published by Windmill in March 2026. "The primary sensitive value exposed by this vulnerability is the SUPERADMIN_SECRET environment variable, readable via /proc/1/environ. When set, this secret can be used as a Bearer token to authenticate as a superadmin and execute arbitrary code through the job preview API." However, it's worth noting that SUPERADMIN_SECRET is not set by default, and for standalon...

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added two maximum-severity security flaws impacting iCagenda and Balbooa extensions for Joomla to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities ( KEV ) catalog, following reports of zero-day exploitation in the wild. The vulnerabilities, both rated 10.0 on the CVSS scoring system, are below - CVE-2026-48939 - A vulnerability in the iCagenda extension for Joomla that allows the upload of arbitrary files via the file attachment feature, leading to PHP code upload and execution. CVE-2026-56291 - A vulnerability in the Balbooa Forms extension for Joomla that allows the upload of arbitrary files, leading to remote code execution. According to mySites.guru, a cloud-based dashboard service for managing WordPress and Joomla websites, CVE-2026-48939 is said to have been exploited as a zero-day since June 15, 2026, in automated attacks aimed at Joomla sites on which iCagenda is installed. It resides in the "Submit an...

A cybercrime crew left one of its own servers wide open on the internet for three weeks, and it exposed the operation's inner workings: the hacking tools, the activity logs, and target lists naming more than 1.4 million websites. Far fewer were actually broken into, but the exposed files showed researchers how a mass site-hacking operation runs from the inside. The operation, now tracked as WP-SHELLSTORM , is what  SOCRadar  calls a webshell access brokerage: a crew that breaks into sites at scale, plants a hidden backdoor (a "webshell") on each, and packages that access for resale. The strongest activity hit WordPress sites running out-of-date plugins. If you run WordPress or Joomla, the two flaws that mattered most were in the Breeze caching plugin and Joomla's JCE editor; skip to the checklist below if that's you. A forgotten server Two teams dug into the same exposed folder. SOCRadar's threat intelligence team spotted it on June 11, 2026, on a U...

A new, stealthy backdoor named Mistic has been deployed as part of suspected financially motivated attacks aimed at multiple organizations spanning insurance, education, IT, and professional services sectors since April 2026. According to Symantec and Carbon Black's Threat Hunter Team, the backdoor, also tracked as MLTBackdoor, is said to be linked to an initial access broker (IAB) named KongTuke (aka 404 TDS, Chaya_002, LandUpdate808, TAG-124, and Woodgnat), and dropped along with ModeloRAT, a Python remote access trojan (RAT) previously attributed to the group. "The backdoor runs payloads in memory with no file written to disk and includes a kill switch that lets it delete itself, which are features consistent with an operator seeking long-term, low-visibility access," Broadcom's cybersecurity teams said in a report shared with The Hacker News. ModeloRAT was first flagged by Huntress in January 2026 in connection with a variant of a ClickFix campaign dub...