# CVE-2026-119977: WordPress WordPress Core Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition


- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 3 Nov 2026 (CISA KEV)
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 31 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 4 Nov 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-119977, GHSA-p6jj-qrp3-7m4g

## What is CVE-2026-119977?

CVE-2026-119977 is a high-severity vulnerability in WordPress, published on 31 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

WordPress Core is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in versions 4.7 through 7.1.3. This is due to predictable, web-accessible staging paths used during full-package core upgrades. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server during the upgrade window.

Weakness: CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-119977?

It affects 1 product.


Products: WordPress.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-119977?

Upgrade to a fixed version. US federal agencies must fix it by 6 Nov 2026.

## Is CVE-2026-119977 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-119977 in the wild since at least 3 Nov 2026.

Public exploit code:

- https://github.com/Worthes/CVE-2026-119977-WordPress-Upgrade-RCE-Bypasses-7.1.4 (github_poc): https://github.com/Worthes/CVE-2026-119977-WordPress-Upgrade-RCE-Bypasses-7.1.4
- CVE-2026-119977 – WordPress Core Upgrade-Window RCE (CVSS 8.1) | Red/Blue Team Toolkit. Predictable staging dir takeover, wp-config.php promotion, Bait MySQL proof, WAF origin discovery, rate-limited race oracle, admin shell deploy, version triage. Async, CI-tested. Only ethical & authorized use, stay legal. (github_poc): https://github.com/tc4dy/CVE-2026-119977-Toolkit
- https://github.com/lysophavin18/CVE-2026-119977 (github_poc): https://github.com/lysophavin18/CVE-2026-119977
- https://github.com/BugStealers/CVE-2026-119977 (github_poc): https://github.com/BugStealers/CVE-2026-119977
- Bash + WP-CLI maintenance for fleets of WordPress sites: core, plugin and theme updates, backups with a restore path, JSON reports, CVE-2026-119977 assessment and hardening. (github_poc): https://github.com/paulmann/Bash_WP-CLI_Update
- Read-only local WordPress version assessment for CVE-2026-119977. (github_poc): https://github.com/mehmet-emir-eroglu/CVE-2026-119977

## Other vulnerabilities in WordPress

- [CVE-2026-63030](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63030/): WordPress Core Interpretation Conflict (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-87902](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-87902/): WordPress Core Remote File Inclusion (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-60137](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-60137/): WordPress Core SQL Injection (medium 5.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2012-2399](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2399/): Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in swfupload.swf in SWFupload 2.2.0.1 and earlier, as used in WordPress before 3.5.2, TinyMCE Image (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2012-2400](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2400/): Unspecified vulnerability in wp-includes/js/swfobject.js in WordPress before 3.3.2 has unknown impact and attack vectors. (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-119977 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-119977 is a high-severity vulnerability in WordPress, published on 31 Oct 2026. 
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-119977 in the wild since at least 3 Nov 2026.

Affected product: WordPress. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-119977/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-119977/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-119977
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-119977
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-119977

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-119977/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.