Vulnerability report

Exploitation Attempts Observed Confirmed Confidence In CISA KEV

CVE-2026-87902

WordPress Remote Code Execution

WordPress · affected before 7.1.2

Watch CVE-2026-87902 Browse KEV feed
Severity
CVSS 8.1 · High
Confidence
Confirmed
Exploit status
Exploitation Attempts Observed in the Wild
EPSS
95.8%
First observed
23 Sep 2026
Last observed
02 Nov 2026

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2026-87902 is an unauthenticated vulnerability affecting WordPress.

Have exploitation attempts been observed?

Yes. Previdian sensors have observed 12,276 exploitation attempts, 49 unique attacker IPs, and 17 countries targeting CVE-2026-87902. First observed Sep 23, 2026; last observed Nov 02, 2026. Listed in CISA KEV. Also reported by third-party sources. Confidence is confirmed.

Who is affected?

WordPress affected before 7.1.2.

What should we do?

Patch immediately, validate internet-facing exposure, and monitor for matching requests.

Overview

WordPress Remote Code Execution

An unauthenticated attacker can make `get_page_template()` page-template resolution include a chosen readable local `.php` file outside the active theme directories.

If relevant pre-conditions for both the server and the active theme are met, this can lead to RCE.

WordPress Affected
WordPress
Before 7.1.2
Published
22 Sep 2026
Exploitation Attempts Reported
23 Sep 2026
Attack vector
Remote
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None

Tags

wordpress php nuclei_scanner cisa

CVE References

Exploitation evidence

Evidence of exploitation attempts

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploitation Attempts Observed in the Wild

Previdian

Recorded 23 Sep 2026

Previdian sensors observed exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability before a third-party report.

Exploitation Attempts Observed

Previdian sensor

First observed 23 Sep 2026

Previdian sensors observed exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability.

Proof of concept available

Pruva

Recorded 22 Sep 2026

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the Previdian Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access
Source Added
Previdian Sensors First 2026-09-23 12:53 UTC
The Hacker News 2026-09-24 06:30 UTC
CISA 2026-09-25 19:40 UTC
CVE 2026-09-25 19:51 UTC
Security Affairs 2026-09-26 09:21 UTC

Operational indicators for this CVE are listed under Detection.

Sensor telemetry

Previdian Sensor Observations

Previdian sensor observations are exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. They do not show that the target was vulnerable or that the attempt succeeded. The cards and chart show volume, unique attackers, and daily activity.

12,276

Attempts observed

49

Unique attacker IPs

17

Attacker countries

BG · CH · CN · DE · FI · FR · ID · IL · IN · IQ · IR · KR · LT · NL · SG · UA · US

7

Sensors observed

CVE-2026-87902 exploitation attempts over the last 48 days

Daily events observed by Previdian sensors

Updated 08 Nov 2026

0
138
12
118
139
690
177
0
132
24
868
2
9
750
179
1,752
48
26
2
1,496
125
1,734
0
0
16
0
24
726
24
42
0
0
0
1,728
194
194
817
0
0
0
0
90
0
0
0
0
0
0
22 Sep 2 Oct 12 Oct 22 Oct 8 Nov

First observed 23 Sep 2026 · Last observed 02 Nov 2026

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Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Observed signals

Request targets
User-Agents
Callback hosts
568
26
2

Request targets and User-Agents available in Pro. Callback host details available in Enterprise.

Virtual patch status

No Previdian virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Attacker IP Indicators

Attacker IP indicators observed · available in Pro and Enterprise.

Sensor-derived attacker IP indicators are available to Pro and Enterprise accounts under Detection and through the Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner Reference Detected
Nuclei https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2026/CVE-2026-87902.yaml 24 Sep 2026

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

8.1 High

Potential damage if exploited. Separate from whether attackers are using it.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

95.8%

Estimated chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Previdian's warning comes from evidence, not this score.

Weaknesses

Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') CWE-98

Recent mention · SOCRadar

Top RCE Vulnerabilities

Top RCE Vulnerabilities A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability is a software flaw that lets an attacker run their own code on a target system from a remote location. Exploiting vulnerabilities like this is now the m

Read full advisory

All Mentions

Recent mention · SOCRadar

Top RCE Vulnerabilities

SOCRadar · 14 Oct 2026

Top RCE Vulnerabilities A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability is a software flaw that lets an attacker run their own code on a target system from a remote location. Exploiting vulnerabilities like this is now the m

Recent mention · ExploitDB

[webapps] WordPress 7.0.2 - Path Travesal

ExploitDB · 01 Oct 2026

WordPress 7.0.2 - Path Travesal

Recent mention · Security Affairs

Security Affairs newsletter Round 597 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Security Affairs · 27 Sep 2026

A new round of the weekly Security Affairs newsletter has arrived! Every week, the best security articles from Security Affairs are free in your email box. Enjoy a new round of the weekly SecurityAffairs newsletter, including international press. OpenAI Agents Accessed US Government Websites Without Authorization Exploit.in Database Reveals the Roots of Today’s Ransomware Ecosystem […]

Recent mention · Security Affairs

U.S. CISA adds WordPress flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

Security Affairs · 26 Sep 2026

U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) adds WordPress flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added a WordPress Core flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-87902 (CVSS score of 9.2), to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. CVE-2026-87902 allows an unauthenticated attacker to make the get_page_template() function include a readable local […]

Recent mention · The Hacker News

Attackers Exploit WordPress CVE-2026-87902 Within Hours of Disclosure

The Hacker News · 24 Sep 2026

Ravie LakshmananSep 24, 2026Vulnerability / Web Security 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...

Recent mention · SOCRadar

CVE-2026-87902 in WordPress Enables Conditional RCE

SOCRadar · 23 Sep 2026

CVE-2026-87902 in WordPress Enables Conditional RCE Security updates released for WordPress address CVE-2026-87902 , a severe unauthenticated path traversal flaw within its page-template resolution mechanism. The weaknes

Recent mention · NCSC Security Advisories

NCSC-2026-0389 [1.00] [M/H] Kwetsbaarheid verholpen in WordPress

NCSC Security Advisories · 23 Sep 2026

De ontwikkelaars van WordPress hebben een kwetsbaarheid verholpen in WordPress. Een kwaadwillende kan de kwetsbaarheid met kenmerk CVE-2026-87902 misbruiken, om zonder authenticatie een lokaal PHP-bestand buiten de actieve themamappen door WordPress te laten inladen. Onder bepaalde voorwaarden met betrekking tot het actieve thema en de serverconfiguratie kan de kwetsbaarheid leiden tot het uitvoeren van willekeurige code op de server. Hierdoor kan een kwaadwillende mogelijk toegang krijgen tot gevoelige gegevens, wijzigingen aanbrengen of verdere controle verkrijgen over de getroffen...

Recent mention · Security Affairs

CVE-2026-87902: how close is your WordPress to remote code execution?

Security Affairs · 23 Sep 2026

WordPress 7.1.2 fixes an unauthenticated file inclusion bug active since version 4.7, patchable but exploitable into remote code execution. WordPress 7.1.2 shipped on September 22 address an unauthenticated local file inclusion, tracked as CVE-2026-87902 (CVSS score of 9.2), which stems of how the CMS resolves page templates, with a real path to remote code execution. […]

Recent mention · Wordfence

PSA: Critical Unauthenticated Path Traversal Vulnerability Patched in WordPress Core

Wordfence · 22 Sep 2026

WordPress has released security updates for a critical unauthenticated path traversal vulnerability that can lead to local PHP file inclusion and, on affected server and theme configurations, remote code execution. Site owners should update WordPress Core immediately. The post PSA: Critical Unauthenticated Path Traversal Vulnerability Patched in WordPress Core appeared first on Wordfence.

Recent mention · The Hacker News

WordPress Issues Patch for Critical Flaw That Can Enable Code Execution on Some Servers

The Hacker News · 22 Sep 2026

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

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

CVE-2026-87902 Exploit: WordPress Path Traversal RCE

1dayexploit · Created 2026-09-24 15:30:00 UTC

CVE-2026-87902 is an unauthenticated WordPress path traversal enabling arbitrary local PHP file inclusion, chainable to remote code execution via the PEAR gadget.

tc4dy/CVE-2026-87902-Toolkit

github · Created 2026-09-23 19:21:48 UTC · 1 stars · AI assessment 90%

CVE-2026-87902 – WordPress Core LFI→RCE Toolkit (CVSS 9.2) - Red/Blue Team suite for WordPress 4.7–7.1.1. 🛠️ 2 tools: Full Exploit (LFI, PEAR RCE, admin create, webshell, reverse shell, loot, mass scan, stealth) & SafeChecker (version detect, risk audit, JSON report). 🔨 Use Ethically & Authorized Enviorement, Stay Legal <3

bhideki/CVE-2026-87902

github · Created 2026-09-23 15:43:38 UTC · 1 stars · AI assessment 90%

CVE-2026-87902: PoC for WordPress's critical path traversal

Hassham1/CVE-2026-87902

github · Created 2026-09-23 11:54:00 UTC · 0 stars · AI assessment 90%

WordPress Core <= 7.1.1 unauthenticated LFI to RCE - validation lab, PoC, nuclei template (GHSA-7hp8-65ch-5whp)

zer0dayf/CVE-2026-87902

github · Created 2026-09-23 11:03:07 UTC · 0 stars · AI assessment 85%

pwnVader/CVE-2026-87902-PoC-pwnVader

github · Created 2026-09-22 22:58:47 UTC · 0 stars · AI assessment 90%

WordPress Core unauthenticated path traversal in get_page_template() page-template resolution leading to conditional RCE

pruva · Created 2026-09-22 19:34:54 UTC

Severity: CRITICAL | GHSA: GHSA-7hp8-65ch-5whp | CVE: CVE-2026-87902 | Package: WordPress/wordpress-develop

vulpecuna/CVE-2026-87902

github · Created 2026-09-22 18:32:56 UTC · 1 stars · AI assessment 90%

Unauthenticated RCE on Wordpress

abraxas/CVE-2026-87902

github · Created 2026-09-22 18:13:48 UTC · 1 stars · AI assessment 85%

CVE-2026-87902 - WordPress - WordPress Core - High 8.1 - Unauthenticated GET /?page_id={id}&pagename=templates%252... - Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion (conditional RCE)

WordPress Core - PHP Template Path Traversal

nuclei · Created Unknown

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation attempts

  1. 09:21 UTC

    KEV confirmed by Security Affairs

    Exploitation attempts reported by an external source

  2. 19:51 UTC

    KEV confirmed by CVE

    Exploitation attempts reported by an external source

  3. 19:40 UTC

    Added to CISA KEV

    Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

  4. 06:30 UTC

    KEV confirmed by The Hacker News

    Exploitation attempts reported by an external source

  5. 04:30 UTC

    Nuclei template available

    Scanner coverage available

  6. 12:32 UTC

    Indicators of compromise added (49)

    Indicators of compromise recorded

  7. 12:32 UTC

    Observed by Previdian sensors

    Previdian sensors observed exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability.

  8. 18:45 UTC

    Added to the Previdian watchlist

    Pro and Enterprise Watch users had 3 days of early warning before CISA KEV. Also 1 day before Previdian KEV.

  9. 18:13 UTC

    Public PoC available

    Public proof-of-concept code published

  10. 16:44 UTC

    CVE published

    Vulnerability disclosed publicly

  11. 15:00 UTC

    CVE ID reserved

    Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

Automate this intelligence

Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

Start 14-day Pro trial Read API docs
  • Evidence confidence and provenance
  • First-party sensor telemetry
  • PoC and scanner references
  • Affected versions and enrichment
  • Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2026-87902

Sample API response 
{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2026-87902",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 8.1,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.95769,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": true
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 12276, "sensors": 7 }
}