Skip to main content

Rank Math SEO EUVDEUVD-2026-111576

| CVE-2026-1928 HIGH
Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502)
2026-10-28 Wordfence GHSA-f7v4-wpwr-74r2
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Wordfence
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain Contributor-level account
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted serialized payload to updateMeta REST endpoint
  3. Exploit
    Trigger untrusted deserialization (PHP Object Injection)
  4. Execution
    POP chain writes webshell to uploads directory
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary PHP code on server

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Safe deserialization, type allowlists
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires an authenticated account with Contributor-level capability or above (PR:L) and the ability to reach the plugin's updateMeta REST API endpoint, which deserializes attacker-supplied input. Full remote code execution additionally depends on the POP (property-oriented programming) gadget chain the advisory confirms is present, enabling a webshell to be written into the WordPress uploads directory. The principal limiting factor is the Contributor+ authentication requirement: sites that do not permit untrusted user registration at Contributor level or higher substantially reduce the attacker population, though any compromised low-privilege account also satisfies the condition. All versions up to and including 1.0.276 are affected.

Impact

This is a genuine high-priority issue rather than an inflated CVSS score. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N) describes network-reachable, low-complexity exploitation requiring only authenticated Contributor-level access (PR:L), with full C:H/I:H/A:H impact because the description explicitly states a usable POP chain turns PHP Object Injection into remote code execution via a webshell written to the uploads directory - so the high confidentiality/integrity/availability ratings are mechanistically justified, not assumed. The vuln.today Decision label is 'this_week', consistent with a reliably exploitable RCE in an extremely widely deployed plugin. Signals are mostly aligned: Wordfence (the reporter) is a credible source, the vulnerability class (CWE-502) is well understood, and the one meaningful limiter is the Contributor+ authentication requirement, which narrows the attacker population to sites allowing untrusted/low-trust user registration or already-compromised low-privilege accounts. Missing/limiting data to note: no EPSS score was supplied, KEV status is not indicated (treat as not KEV-listed), and no confirmed working exploit code was provided - only the Wordfence advisory and WordPress trac source references. The practical risk hinges on whether a site exposes Contributor-level accounts; where it does, this should be treated as near-critical.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who holds or obtains a Contributor-level (or higher) account on a WordPress site running Rank Math SEO submits crafted serialized data to the updateMeta REST API endpoint, which is deserialized without validation. Because a suitable POP gadget chain is present, the injected PHP object is leveraged to write a webshell into the site's uploads directory, yielding remote code execution. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; the Wordfence advisory and trac source links document the flaw but are not verified working exploit code.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.5% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 28, 2026

Remote code execution in Rank Math SEO for WordPress (all versions through 1.0.276) allows authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher to inject a PHP object through the updateMeta REST API endpoint and, using a POP chain present in the plugin, write a webshell into the uploads directory. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), and the principal barrier is the Contributor+ account requirement; sites that do not grant that role to untrusted users have a smaller exposed population. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Update the Rank Math SEO plugin to a release later than 1.0.276; the supplied data does not state an exact fixed version, but the upstream fix reference is Trac changeset 3666725 (https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3666725/), so confirm the patched release in the Wordfence advisory (https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/cd4395be-7b4c-46b0-be00-7dedc6691f4a?source=cve) before upgrading. Until a fixed release is applied, constrain the Contributor role and above to trusted accounts, because exploitation requires an authenticated user at that privilege level and the endpoint is reachable remotely; remove or review untrusted Contributor+ users and block open registration that grants those roles. Because successful exploitation writes a webshell to the uploads directory, inspect that directory for unexpected PHP files as a detection measure, but do not treat scanning as a substitute for patching.

Affected VersionsENISA

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 0 ≤1.0.276

Affected Packages

euvd rank_math_seo_ai_seo_tools_to_dominate_seo_rankings no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CVE-2026-1928 is a CWE-502 deserialization flaw in the WordPress plugin Rank Math SEO. The updateMeta REST API endpoint passes attacker-controlled input into PHP object deserialization, so a user who can reach the endpoint with Contributor-level capability or above can supply a serialized object. Because the plugin environment contains a POP gadget chain, the injected object can be transformed into a file-write primitive that places a webshell in the WordPress uploads directory, yielding code execution under the web server account. The CPE record identifies the affected package as rank_math_seo_-_ai_seo_tools_to_dominate_seo_rankings, and upstream Trac references point to the REST shared class, schema database class, and sanitize class in version 1.0.263; changeset 3666725 is also referenced. All versions up to and including 1.0.276 are affected according to the supplied EUVD data.

Know when PHP gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (Wordfence) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Network-reachable REST endpoint (AV:N) exploitable with low complexity (AC:L) by a Contributor-level authenticated user (PR:L), no user interaction; a confirmed POP chain yields RCE giving full C/I/A impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).

CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

The Rank Math SEO - AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.276 via deserialization of untrusted input in the updateMeta REST API endpoint. This makes it possible forauthenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. The additional presence of a POP chain allows attackers to achieve remote code execution by writing a webshell to the uploads directory.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A critical vulnerability in the Rank Math SEO plugin for WordPress (all versions up to 1.0.276) allows authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access to execute remote code and compromise the entire website. Given the widespread use of this plugin, any site with Contributor accounts (e.g., guest authors, freelance contributors) is at risk. Leadership should prioritize remediation because exploitation could lead to full site takeover, data theft, and reputational damage.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict Contributor-level access to trusted users only; deploy a web application firewall (WAF) to filter malicious requests to the updateMeta endpoint; monitor for unauthorized file changes in the uploads directory; consider disabling the plugin until a patch is available.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.5%
Top 55% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Rank Math SEO is a top-tier WordPress SEO plugin with millions of active installs
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.5%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

45
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Insecure deserialization occurs when an application converts serialized data (a stream of bytes representing an object's state) back into a living object without proper validation.

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.

More in PHP

View all
CVE-2019-11043 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Oct 28

In PHP versions 7.1.x below 7.1.33, 7.2.x below 7.2.24 and 7.3.x below 7.3.11 in certain configurations of FPM setup it

CVE-2012-1823 CRITICAL POC
9.8 May 11

sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP before 5.3.12 and 5.4.x before 5.4.2, when configured as a CGI script (aka php-cgi), does not

CVE-2016-1555 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Apr 21

(1) boardData102.php, (2) boardData103.php, (3) boardDataJP.php, (4) boardDataNA.php, and (5) boardDataWW.php in Netgear

CVE-2018-11138 CRITICAL POC
9.8 May 31

The '/common/download_agent_installer.php' script in the Quest KACE System Management Appliance 8.0.318 is accessible by

CVE-2024-11680 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Nov 26

ProjectSend versions prior to r1720 are affected by an improper authentication vulnerability. Rated critical severity (C

CVE-2025-49113 CRITICAL POC
9.9 Jun 02

Roundcube Webmail contains a critical PHP object deserialization vulnerability (CVE-2025-49113, CVSS 9.9) that allows au

CVE-2017-9841 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Jun 27

Util/PHP/eval-stdin.php in PHPUnit before 4.8.28 and 5.x before 5.6.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP c

CVE-2025-0108 HIGH POC
8.8 Feb 12

Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS management web interface contains an authentication bypass allowing unauthenticated attackers

CVE-2021-25298 HIGH POC
8.8 Feb 15

Nagios XI version xi-5.7.5 is affected by OS command injection. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is re

CVE-2021-25296 HIGH POC
8.8 Feb 15

Nagios XI version xi-5.7.5 is affected by OS command injection. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is re

CVE-2013-4983 CRITICAL POC
10.0 Sep 10

The get_referers function in /opt/ws/bin/sblistpack in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.7.9.1 and 3.8 before 3.8.1.1 allows

CVE-2023-6553 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Dec 15

The Backup Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 1

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy