WordPress Core 4.7.0 - 7.1.2 - Authenticated (Author+) Unauthorized Sticky Post Modification via REST API

2026-10-07 00:00
Anthropic

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 4.7.38
Affected Core
WordPress 7.1
Affected Version
4.7.0 – 7.1.2 · 25 branches
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization
CVE
CVE pending
View all WordPress 7.1 vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a medium-severity Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress 7.1 WordPress release line, affecting 4.7.0 – 7.1.2 · 25 branches. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Author level or above. The issue is fixed in version 4.7.38; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2026, reported by Anthropic.

Vulnerability Overview

WordPress Core is vulnerable to unauthorized sticky-post modification in versions 4.7 through 7.1.2 due to an incorrect capability condition in the REST posts controller. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-level access and above, to make posts they can edit sticky and, in affected update paths, remove sticky status without possessing the edit_others_posts capability required for sticky-post management.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization

Reaching this weakness in WordPress 7.1 4.7.0 – 7.1.2 · 25 branches takes an account at Author level or above. Incorrect authorization means a permission check exists but evaluates the wrong thing, so it passes for callers it was meant to stop.

The action runs for users the code intended to exclude, with the same effect as having no check at all. For WordPress 7.1 the fix is 4.7.38: builds 4.7.0 – 7.1.2 · 25 branches are affected, anything from 4.7.38 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to one of the following versions, or a newer patched version: 4.7.38, 4.8.33, 4.9.34, 5.0.30, 5.1.27, 5.2.29, 5.3.26, 5.4.24, 5.5.23, 5.6.22, 5.7.20, 5.8.18, 5.9.19, 6.0.17, 6.1.15, 6.2.14, 6.3.13, 6.4.13, 6.5.13, 6.6.10, 6.7.10, 6.8.11, 6.9.10, 7.0.7, 7.1.3

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: updating to 4.7.38 is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b5541170-fd01-4d6d-934c-bfce446b3b55

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