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Kirki WordPress Plugin EUVDEUVD-2026-51432

| CVE-2026-12721 HIGH
SQL Injection (CWE-89)
2026-07-31 WPScan GHSA-8m37-w7r8-hcp2
8.6
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
    Identify WordPress site running Kirki plugin
  2. Delivery
    Send unauthenticated HTTP request with SQL payload
  3. Exploit
    Bypass absent input sanitization
  4. Execution
    Execute injected SQL against WordPress database
  5. Impact
    Exfiltrate user credentials and sensitive database contents

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Parameterized queries, prepared statements
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Persistence

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

Exploitation Conditions

The Kirki WordPress plugin must be installed and active on the target WordPress site running any version prior to 6.0.13. No authentication is required - the vulnerable parameter is accessible to unauthenticated HTTP requests (CVSS PR:N, UI:N). No special WordPress configuration or theme setup is required beyond the plugin being active. The specific vulnerable parameter and endpoint are identified in the WPScan advisory but not disclosed in this dataset. What limits exploitation: the attacker must know or discover the specific vulnerable request parameter; the injection appears to be read-only (C:H, I:N, A:N), so direct data modification or remote code execution via this vector alone is not indicated; and the low EPSS score suggests automated mass exploitation has not been widely observed despite POC availability.

Impact

The CVSS 8.6 score with AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N reflects a worst-case attacker posture: no authentication, no special conditions, exploitable over the network. The S:C designation implies the database is treated as a separate security domain from the web application, justifying the elevated score. However, the EPSS score of 0.18% at the 7th percentile is notably low given that a public POC exists - this discrepancy suggests the exploit may require precise knowledge of vulnerable parameter names, a specific plugin configuration, or that mass scanning has not yet adopted this CVE. The vulnerability is absent from the CISA KEV catalog, confirming no confirmed widespread active exploitation at time of analysis. Real-world risk is genuine but context-dependent: sites running the plugin with sensitive data in the WordPress database (credentials hashes, PII, e-commerce records) face meaningful exposure, while the limited integrity and availability impact (I:N/A:N) reduces the blast radius compared to a full read-write injection. The combination of a public POC and unauthenticated network vector means this should be treated as a priority patch on any production WordPress deployment running Kirki.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP GET or POST request to the vulnerable WordPress endpoint handled by the Kirki plugin, embedding SQL metacharacters or UNION-based payloads in the targeted parameter. The unescaped value is concatenated directly into a SQL query executed against the WordPress MySQL database, allowing the attacker to enumerate table contents including wp_users (password hashes, email addresses) and any custom post meta or option data. A public proof-of-concept is available via WPScan, lowering the technical barrier for exploitation.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jul 31, 2026

SQL injection in the Kirki WordPress plugin before version 6.0.13 enables unauthenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary data from the underlying WordPress database by injecting malicious SQL through an unsanitized request parameter. The CVSS vector scores this 8.6 with a scope change reflecting potential access to the database tier beyond the web application boundary, with high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact - consistent with a read-only injection primitive. A public proof-of-concept exploit exists per WPScan, though the EPSS score of 0.18% (7th percentile) indicates low observed exploitation probability relative to the theoretical severity, and the vulnerability has not been added to the CISA KEV catalog.

RemediationAI

Update the Kirki WordPress plugin to version 6.0.13 or later, which contains the vendor-released fix for this SQL injection. The WPScan advisory at https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/4cba3900-9f29-4928-811c-163827358052/ provides further detail. If immediate patching is not feasible, a compensating control is to deactivate the Kirki plugin entirely until the update can be applied - this eliminates the attack surface at the cost of disabling theme customization functionality. An alternative short-term measure is to deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule blocking SQL metacharacter patterns in requests to WordPress endpoints, though WAF rules can be bypassed by encoding or obfuscation and should not substitute for patching. No other mitigations specific to this parameter are identifiable from the available data.

Affected VersionsENISA

Kirki 0 <6.0.13

Affected Packages

euvd kirki fix: 6.0.13

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

Kirki is a WordPress plugin that extends the WordPress Theme Customizer API, providing a framework for theme developers to build rich customization interfaces. The affected code path accepts a value directly from the HTTP request and interpolates it into a SQL statement without sanitization or parameterization, a textbook CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a SQL Command) defect. WordPress plugins interact with the WordPress-managed MySQL database via the wpdb class, which provides prepared statement helpers; the failure to use these helpers or equivalent escaping functions is the root cause. The CPE string cpe:2.3:a:unknown:kirki:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers all versions of Kirki up to (exclusive) 6.0.13, as confirmed by EUVD entry EUVD-2026-51432.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 8.6 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Unauthenticated network vector confirmed; S:U preferred over vendor S:C as injection reads within the WordPress database boundary, not a separate system; I:N and A:N reflect read-only impact.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (WPScan).

CVSS VectorVendor: WPScan

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

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Jul 31, 2026 - 17:22 NVD
8.6 (HIGH)
Patch available
Jul 31, 2026 - 07:01 EUVD
CVE Published
Jul 31, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
HIGH 8.6
CVE Published
Jul 31, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

The Kirki WordPress plugin before 6.0.13 does not properly sanitise and escape a value taken from the request before using it in a SQL statement, allowing unauthenticated attackers to perform SQL injection attacks.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

The Kirki WordPress plugin contains an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability (CVE-2026-12721, CVSS 8.6) affecting versions before 6.0.13, enabling attackers to directly read sensitive data from your WordPress database without credentials. Publicly available exploit code exists, making this an immediate attack vector for any organization running affected installations. This exposes customer information, user credentials, and proprietary content stored in the database.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 93% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular WordPress theme customizer plugin, widely used but not universally deployed
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
5 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 0.2%
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

63
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +43
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

SQL injection exploits the way applications construct database queries by mixing user input directly into SQL statements.

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