CVE-2026-87902: WordPress Core Remote File Inclusion Vulnerability

wp core version
wp plugin list --fields=name,status,version
wp theme list --fields=name,status,version

Run WP-CLI from the WordPress installation with the site account. Match the named component and its active version to the advisory; an installed but inactive extension still needs a separate reachability assessment. These are inventory checks, not exploit tests.

How to fix

Permanent remediation

1. Confirm the vulnerable plugin, component, route, role, and authentication state on every public application instance.
2. Apply the latest vendor remediation or isolate the vulnerable path when immediate patching is not possible.
3. Review web, WAF, authentication, process, and outbound-request logs for exploit indicators before cleanup.
4. Validate the fixed version and control health, then record any exception with an owner and expiry date.

Official remediation direction: CISA due date: 2026-09-28. This deadline applies to covered US federal civilian agencies; other organizations should set a risk-based deadline. Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines. Official action

If you cannot patch yet

WordPress 7.1.2 has been released containing a fix for the vulnerability, and as a courtesy to users on older branches the fix has been backported to all branches back to 4.7. Published workaround

Give any temporary control an owner and expiry, verify it covers every affected instance, and retain a rollback path. Remove it only after the permanent remediation is verified.

Detection and post-fix validation

• Confirm the installed and running version of WordPress Core against the current vendor advisory.
• Check whether the vulnerable interface is reachable from untrusted networks or lower-privileged identities.
• Look for new accounts, privilege changes, crashes, child processes, or unusual outbound traffic associated with the component.
• Run a post-remediation service and security-control health check and retain evidence with the change record.

A clean scan or a version match alone does not rule out earlier compromise. If telemetry suggests exploitation, preserve evidence and follow the incident-response process alongside patching.

Timeline and exploitation status

• September 22, 2026 — CVE record published.
• September 25, 2026 — Source entry published.
• September 25, 2026 — Added to CISA KEV.
• September 26, 2026 — Source record updated.

Record publication and KEV addition dates describe those source events; they do not establish when exploitation first began.

The linked official record reports exploitation in the wild. This does not establish that any particular deployment has been compromised.

Public proof-of-concept availability is not independently established here. Recheck the vendor and government records as evidence changes.

Primary sources and references

• CNA-linked reference: github.com
• CISA-linked vendor guidance: www.cisa.gov
• CISA-linked vendor guidance: www.cisa.gov
• CISA-linked vendor guidance: nvd.nist.gov
• CVE CNA: hackerone: CVE-2026-87902 CNA record
• CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-87902: WordPress Core Remote File Inclusion Vulnerability