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CVE-2026-119977

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in WordPress Core. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for WordPress’s, see WordPress flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2026-119977 is a security flaw in WordPress Core, the software behind about four in ten websites. Attackers can run their own code on WordPress Core from anywhere, without logging in. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 3 Nov 2026.[1]

WordPress Core is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. WordPress has published a fix or advice.

Description

CISA calls it a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in WordPress WordPress Core. In its words: “WordPress WordPress Core contains a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability that could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server during the upgrade window. This is due to predictable, web-accessible staging paths used during full-package core upgrades.”[1]

The underlying weakness is CWE-367, in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]

It scores 8.1 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]

Affected versions

NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; WordPress’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as WordPress WordPress Core.

Every device with WordPress Core needs the update.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 3 Nov 2026, 3 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 6 Nov 2026 to fix it.[1]

FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 1%. That’s in the top 33% of the flaws it scores.[4]

CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.

CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.

Fix

WordPress has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “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).”[1]

  1. Update WordPress Core now.Install the latest update from WordPress on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
  2. If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.

Timeline

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.1.[2]
CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1]
CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1]
FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 1%.[4]

See also

Other WordPress flaws

  • CVE-2026-87902, WordPress Core: remote file inclusion ·
  • CVE-2026-63030, WordPress Core: interpretation conflict ·
  • CVE-2026-60137, WordPress Core: SQL injection ·
  • CVE-2020-25213, WordPress File Manager Plugin: remote code execution ·
  • CVE-2020-11738, WordPress Snap Creek Duplicator Plugin: file download ·

Similar flaws

  • CVE-2025-38352, Linux Kernel: time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition ·
  • CVE-2025-22224, VMware ESXi and Workstation: TOCTOU race condition ·
  • CVE-2024-30088, Microsoft Windows: kernel TOCTOU race condition ·
  • CVE-2022-48618, Apple devices: memory corruption ·
  • CVE-2023-35311, Microsoft Outlook: security feature bypass ·

Every WordPress flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in November 2026

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “WordPress WordPress Core Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 3 Nov 2026.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2026-119977 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 31 Oct 2026.
  3. ^ WordPress. Advisories and fixes: wordpress.org, wordfence.com, core.trac.wordpress.org, core.trac.wordpress.org, wordpress.org.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.012, percentile 67.3, 7 Nov 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2026-119977”. The official CVE record.

This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.11.06), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.