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MainWP Child EUVDEUVD-2026-49065

| CVE-2026-12255 HIGH
Improper Authentication (CWE-287)
2026-07-27 WPScan GHSA-4ph4-5rpm-wrw9
8.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: WPScan
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Reconnaissance to identify a MainWP Child site with vulnerable version
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted site-registration request targeting an admin login
  3. Exploit
    Plugin omits identity verification due to disabled password authentication
  4. Execution
    Attacker receives authenticated session as the admin
  5. Impact
    Attacker gains full access to the WordPress dashboard.

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication mechanism validation
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Defense Evasion, Initial Access

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

Exploitation Conditions

This vulnerability is only exploitable if the targeted account (e.g., an administrator) has password authentication explicitly disabled in the MainWP Child configuration. In default configurations, password authentication is enabled, making the attack infeasible. Additionally, the attacker must know or guess a valid username for the targeted account.

Impact

The CVSS v3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates a network-accessible vulnerability with high attack complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and total compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No EPSS score is available, but the public exploit code and the ability to gain administrator access increase real-world risk. SSVC: exploitation is public (POC) but not confirmed active; the attack is automatable via a single HTTP request; technical impact is total. The high complexity stems from the prerequisite that password authentication must be disabled-a non-default configuration that limits exposure. For sites matching this condition, this is a critical priority; otherwise, it is a low-risk issue.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker identifies a WordPress site running a vulnerable MainWP Child plugin where the admin account has password authentication disabled. By sending a single unauthorized registration request containing that admin username, the attacker receives a valid session cookie and gains full administrative control over the site.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jul 27, 2026

MainWP Child plugin before 6.1.2 on WordPress allows unauthenticated attackers to hijack any account, including administrators, by sending a crafted site-registration request when password authentication is disabled for the targeted account. A publicly available exploit exists, but no active exploitation has been confirmed by CISA KEV.

RemediationAI

Upgrade MainWP Child to version 6.1.2 or later, as the vendor has released a fix. The patch is detailed in the WPScan advisory. If immediate patching is not possible, enforce password authentication for all accounts (especially administrators) in MainWP Child settings, or temporarily disable the plugin until the update can be applied. Note that re-enabling password authentication may impact users who deliberately disabled it for alternative authentication flows.

Affected VersionsENISA

MainWP Child 0 <6.1.2

Affected Packages

euvd mainwp_child fix: 6.1.2

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

CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) describes the root cause: the plugin's site-registration endpoint fails to verify the requester's identity under specific conditions. The underlying technology is a WordPress plugin that extends the MainWP management system; the vulnerable handler is part of the child-site registration mechanism. According to CPE cpe:2.3:a:unknown:mainwp_child:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, all versions before 6.1.2 are affected. When password-based login is disabled for a user account, the handler skips identity verification and directly creates a valid authentication session for the username supplied in the request.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 8.1 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.1 HIGH

Requires password auth disabled, so AC:H; no privileges or user interaction; total impact.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (WPScan).

CVSS VectorVendor: WPScan

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

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Jul 27, 2026 - 16:22 NVD
8.1 (HIGH)
Patch available
Jul 27, 2026 - 07:01 EUVD
CVE Published
Jul 27, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Jul 27, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
HIGH 8.1

DescriptionCVE.org

The MainWP Child WordPress plugin before 6.1.2 does not verify the requester's identity in its site-registration request handler when password authentication has been disabled for the targeted account, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to obtain a valid authentication session as that account, including an administrator, by naming its login in a single registration request.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 80% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
widely-used WordPress management plugin installed on many managed sites
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
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 Yes
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
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
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

60
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +40
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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