Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessIdentify site running BackWPup
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DeliverySend unauthenticated request to cron backup handler
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ExploitBypass missing internal-dispatch origin check
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ExecutionForce existing backup job to execute
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ImpactRepeated out-of-schedule backups exhaust server resources
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires only that the BackWPup plugin (version 3.3 up to but not including 5.7.7) be installed and active, and that at least one backup job already be configured - the attacker cannot create jobs, only trigger existing ones. No authentication, user interaction, or non-default configuration is needed: the cron-triggered backup execution handler is reachable by unauthenticated attackers (AV:N/PR:N/UI:N) and does not verify that the request originates from WordPress's internal scheduled-event dispatch. The principal limiting factor is impact scope - the attacker can force any pre-existing backup job to run immediately regardless of its trigger type or schedule, but gains no data access and cannot define new jobs, so harm is confined to unscheduled job execution and the resulting resource consumption. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but moderate-severity issue, not a top-priority emergency. The CVSS 3.1 vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N = 5.3, MEDIUM) is internally consistent with the description: a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated flaw (PR:N) with no user interaction, but with only limited integrity impact (I:L) and explicitly no confidentiality or availability impact rated. The CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) classification matches the root cause - the cron handler fails to confirm the request originates from WordPress's internal scheduled-event dispatch. No EPSS score, CISA KEV listing, POC, or SSVC decision data was provided, so exploitation probability and the SSVC exploitation/automatable/technical-impact dimensions cannot be computed. The absence of KEV/EPSS is not evidence of low risk, merely missing signal. The practical ceiling on risk is the low impact: an attacker can force already-configured backup jobs to run on demand, but cannot create jobs, exfiltrate data, or crash the site per the rated vector - the realistic harm is unscheduled resource consumption (CPU/IO/storage, potential denial-of-service pressure despite A:N) and disruption of backup cadence. Weighing the signals together: wide plugin deployment and trivial unauthenticated reachability raise attacker opportunity, but the capped integrity-only impact keeps this a medium-priority patch rather than a critical one. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who knows a site runs BackWPup sends an unauthenticated HTTP request directly to the plugin's cron-triggered backup execution endpoint, which fails to verify the call came from WordPress's internal wp-cron dispatch. The attacker repeatedly triggers an existing backup job to run immediately, consuming server CPU, I/O, and storage out of schedule. No public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity (AC:L) and lack of authentication (PR:N) make a working request straightforward to craft. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 08, 2026
Unauthenticated attackers can force any pre-existing backup job in the BackWPup WordPress plugin (versions 3.3 through 5.7.6) to execute immediately by sending a request straight to its cron-triggered backup execution handler, which does not confirm the request originated from WordPress's internal scheduled-event dispatch. The attacker cannot create, edit, or delete jobs and gains no access to backup contents, so the practical impact is confined to unscheduled job execution and the resulting resource consumption rather than data exposure. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified at the time of analysis, and EPSS data was not supplied; the vendor fixed the issue in BackWPup 5.7.7.
RemediationAI
Primary remediation is to upgrade BackWPup to version 5.7.7 or later; this is a vendor-released patch and the only fix that closes the missing authorization check in the cron-triggered backup handler. Where immediate upgrading is not possible, the most direct compensating control is to temporarily deactivate the plugin, accepting the trade-off that scheduled and manual backups stop running until it is reactivated. A less disruptive option is to block external access to the plugin's backup execution/cron endpoint at the web server, reverse proxy, or WAF layer so that only requests originating from the host itself (WordPress loopback Cron) are permitted - this preserves backups but requires accurately identifying the handler path and source addresses, and overly broad rules can break legitimate scheduled runs. Restricting the site's wp-cron.php and admin-ajax/REST routes to trusted networks, or disabling WP-Cron dispatch of BackWPup jobs until patched, similarly reduces exposure at the cost of losing automated backup scheduling. Operators should also review backup logs and remote storage activity for unexpected job executions during the exposure window, and consult the WPScan advisory at https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/c7785a5b-f580-416f-a23d-58c28c717b60/ for handler details before writing filtering rules.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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
The flaw is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) and lives in BackWPup's cron-triggered backup execution handler, the component the plugin registers so that WordPress's WP-Cron dispatch can kick off a configured backup job. WordPress normally triggers such handlers internally (for example via the scheduled-event dispatch or an authenticated AJAX route), and a correctly written handler should verify it was reached through that internal path - typically by requiring a nonce, a shared secret, or the loopback/token markers WordPress sets for its own cron requests. BackWPup before 5.7.7 omits that verification, so any HTTP client can reach the handler from the network (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) and cause an existing job to start outside its configured trigger type and schedule. The assessed vector, AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N (score 5.3), reflects the missing authorization check while capping scored impact: no confidentiality loss and no scored availability loss, only a low integrity effect. Exploitation presupposes that the plugin is installed and active and that at least one backup job already exists - the attacker cannot create jobs, only trigger them - so the reachable harm is unscheduled execution and its consumption of host, I/O, and remote-storage resources.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Unauthenticated network-reachable handler with no origin check gives AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N; forcing existing jobs is a limited integrity impact (I:L) with no rated confidentiality or availability loss.
Primary rating from Vendor (wpscan).
CVSS VectorVendor: wpscan
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
The BackWPup WordPress plugin before 5.7.7 does not verify that a request to its cron-triggered backup execution handler actually originates from WordPress's internal scheduled-event dispatch, allowing unauthenticated attackers to force any existing backup job to run immediately, independent of its configured trigger type or schedule.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
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EUVD-2026-94748
GHSA-pcfw-vf4c-h2h5
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB