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Kirki - Remote Code Execution (CVE-2026-74992)

CVE-2026-74992

The Kirki WordPress plugin before 6.2.3 does not properly validate the files contained in archives uploaded by users with the Editor role, and does not remove all unwanted files after extracting them, allowing such users to upload arbitrary files to a web accessible directory, leading to Stored XSS as well as RCE on some server configurations.

CVE-2026-74992

MEDIUM CVSS 6.8 Published 2026-08-20 Updated 2026-08-26
AI Risk Elevated (66/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Elevated (66/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2026-08-20 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-08-26 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-08-21 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 14 days ago

AI enriched 14 days ago (2026-08-21 21:27 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Kirki WordPress plugin before 6.2.3 does not properly validate the files contained in archives uploaded by users with the Editor role, and does not remove all unwanted files after extracting them, allowing such users to upload arbitrary files to a web accessible directory, leading to Stored XSS as well as RCE on some server configurations.

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 6.8). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on remote code execution potential.

Primary risk drivers: remote code execution potential

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

AI risk score 66/100 (Elevated, High) with priority P3 Priority. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Kirki PLUGIN · kirki Affected: < 6.2.3 Fixed in: 6.2.3

References

What to do about this

Patch promptly The consequence is significant even where an attacker needs a foothold first.

Fix it

Update Kirki to 6.2.3 or later.

That is the complete fix. Everything below is what protects you in the meantime.

Cannot update today? Request / payload inspection (WAF) in Hack Halt ProSecure blocks this class of attack before WordPress processes the request.

Inspect request parameters and bodies for injection, traversal and file-inclusion payloads, and refuse the request rather than logging it.

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Not sure if you are affected?

Scan your site to see whether it runs Kirki, and at which version.

Free, no installation, no account. It reads what your site already publishes, then tells you which plugins carry known vulnerabilities and what to do about each one.

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Am I affected by this vulnerability?

You are affected if your site runs Kirki. Versions below 6.2.3 are vulnerable; that release and later are not.

How do I fix it?

Update Kirki to version 6.2.3 or later. That is the complete fix. Until you can update, Request / payload inspection (WAF) in Hack Halt ProSecure contains this class of attack at the request layer.

What can an attacker actually do?

This is a Remote Code Execution flaw. An attacker who exploits it can run their own code on the server, which is total control of the site.