CVE-2026-1928

Rank Math SEO <= 1.0.276 - Authenticated (Contributor+) PHP Object Injection to Remote Code Execution

2026-10-27 00:00
moochi

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.0.277
Affected Plugin
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings
Affected Version
<= 1.0.276
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
CVE
CVE-2026-1928
View all Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-1928 is a high-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in the Rank Math SEO WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.0.276. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.0.277; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2026, reported by moochi.

Vulnerability Overview

The Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.276 via deserialization of untrusted input in the updateMeta REST API endpoint. This makes it possible forauthenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. The additional presence of a POP chain allows attackers to achieve remote code execution by writing a webshell to the uploads directory.

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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data

Reaching this weakness in Rank Math SEO <= 1.0.276 takes an account at Contributor level or above. Deserialization of untrusted data means the application reconstructs objects from input a caller controls, letting the attacker choose which classes get instantiated and what their properties hold.

A workable chain turns deserialization into file writes, deletions or code execution, depending on what the loaded classes do in their magic methods. For Rank Math SEO the fix is 1.0.277: builds <= 1.0.276 are affected, anything from 1.0.277 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.0.277, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Contributor access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Rank Math SEO 1.0.277 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Scanner
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-1928https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/cd4395be-7b4c-46b0-be00-7dedc6691f4ahttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-1928

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C