CVE-2026-60137 — WordPress Core SQL Injection Vulnerability
WordPress 6.8.x before 6.8.6, 6.9.x before 6.9.5, and 7.0.x before 7.0.2 does not properly sanitise the author__not_in parameter of WP_Query, which could allow SQL Injection when a plugin or theme passes untrusted input to the parameter.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Public exploit/PoC (metasploit, github)+18
- EPSS 5.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+14
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
CISA required action CISA
Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
US federal deadline: Aug 4, 2026 — passed 72 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Wordpress WordPress).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- EPSS ahead of 92% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (injection), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 2.2 | 3.6 | contact@wpscan.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 5.9 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | WPScan via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: contact@wpscan.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- WordPress Core wp2shell Unauthenticated SQL Injection via REST Batch Route Confusion normal Jul 17, 2026
- WordPress WP2Shell REST API Batch Route Confusion SQLi to RCE excellent Jul 17, 2026
- wp2shell — Pre-authentication RCE in WordPress Core (CVE-2026-60137 + CVE-2026-63030). Chains an SQL injection in author__not_in with batch-route confusion for unauthenticated remote code execution on WP 6.9.0–6.9.4 / 7.0.0–7.0.1. ★ 10 Jul 18, 2026
- Analysis and end-to-end implementation of the patched wordpress RCE vulnerability - CVE-2026-60137 and CVE-2026-63030 ★ 3 Jul 21, 2026
- Abdal CVE-2026-60137 is an advanced WordPress security scanner for identifying systems potentially affected by the CVE-2026-60137 SQL Injection vulnerability. Developed by Ebrahim Shafiei (EbraSha) for vulnerability assessment, security research, and authorized penetration testing. ★ 2 Jul 18, 2026
- wp2shell — Pre-authentication RCE in WordPress Core (CVE-2026-60137 + CVE-2026-63030). Chains an SQL injection in author__not_in with batch-route confusion for unauthenticated remote code execution on WP 6.9.0–6.9.4 / 7.0.0–7.0.1. ★ 0 Jul 18, 2026
- CVE-2026-60137Temporary Emergency Mitigation for CVE-2026-60137 & CVE-2026-63030 (wp2shell) ★ 0 Jul 21, 2026
- Adding --insecure to skip ssl ★ 0 Jul 26, 2026
- Dungsocool/CVE-2026-60137_CVE-2026-63030 ★ 0 Jul 27, 2026
- Read-only-by-default WordPress incident-response scanner for the “wp2shell” attack chain (CVE-2026-60137 / CVE-2026-63030): detects shadow-admin, database and filesystem IOCs, verifies core integrity, and exports evidence. Optional controlled account cleanup; does not remove malware. ★ 0 Aug 1, 2026
- wpsqli full SQLi extractor + dumper for CVE-2026-60137 ★ 0 Aug 3, 2026
- Non-destructive proof-of-concept and verification harness for CVE-2026-60137, a blind SQL injection in WordPress core (`WP_Query::author__not_in`), reachable via the REST API's `author_exclude` parameter. ★ 0 Aug 5, 2026
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 5.32%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Look for parameters with command/query metacharacters and unexpected child processes of the service.
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before Jul 21, 2026 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · wordpress/wordpress
- Source status changed · Published → Analyzed
- Record published
- Affected products added · wordpress/wordpress
- CVSS changed · 5.9
- Source status changed · → Published
- SSVC assessment updated
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-87902 WordPress Core Remote File Inclusion Vulnerability KEV 23d
- Critical CVE-2026-63030 WordPress Core Interpretation Conflict Vulnerability KEV Jul 17, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-3906 WordPress 6.9 - 6.9.1 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Note Creation via REST API Mar 11, 2026
- Critical CVE-2016-10033 PHPMailer Command Injection Vulnerability KEV Dec 30, 2016
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-60137 is "WordPress Core SQL Injection Vulnerability", rated Medium. It affects WordPress (Wordpress); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 5.9 describes technical severity. EPSS 5.32% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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