dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2026-54823

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click 8 weeks old

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Contributor Remote Code Execution (RCE) in Widget Options <= 4.2.3 versions.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the WordPress Widget Options plugin. The plugin fails to properly restrict functionality, allowing users with the Contributor role (typically limited to creating drafts) to execute arbitrary PHP code on the server. Attackers with Contributor-level access can likely craft requests that abuse widget rendering or options processing to achieve remote code execution.

MitigationImmediately update Widget Options plugin to a version newer than 4.2.3. If immediate updating is not feasible, disable the Widget Options plugin or revoke Contributor-level users' ability to access plugin features until the patch can be applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Widget Options plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and look for 'Widget Options' in the list of active plugins, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for the widget-options folder
    Affected if Widget Options plugin is present and active
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, find Widget Options and view the version number displayed under the plugin name, or inspect the main plugin file (e.g., widget-options.php) and look for the 'Version:' header comment
    Affected if Version is unknown or falls within any vulnerable range (compare your installed version to official security advisories)
  3. Verify Contributor-level user accounts exist
    In WordPress admin > Users, filter or scroll to check if any users with the 'Contributor' role are present
    Affected if At least one Contributor-level user account exists in the system
  4. Check if the plugin's dynamic features are accessible to Contributors
    Attempt to access the Widget Options settings page or create/edit a widget as a Contributor user (or review the plugin's capability configuration in its code to see if it enforces 'manage_options' or similar elevated capabilities)
    Affected if Contributor users can access widget creation, shortcode generation, or file upload features within the plugin

If Widget Options plugin is installed and Contributor-level users exist with the ability to use the plugin's dynamic features, the environment is likely affected by this privilege escalation vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Immediately update Widget Options plugin to a version newer than 4.2.3. If immediate updating is not feasible, disable the Widget Options plugin or revoke Contributor-level users' ability to access plugin features until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Widget Options version 4.2.4 or latest stable release

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the 'Widget Options' plugin
  4. 4. Check the current installed version to confirm it is 4.2.3 or lower
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest patched version
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the updated plugin from the official WordPress plugin repository or the vendor's website
  7. 7. After updating, verify the plugin is functioning correctly on the site
Caveat Review plugin settings after upgrade as minor interface changes may occur in point releases

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-54823 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data