What is CVE-2026-65640?

CVE-2026-65640 is WordPress is vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability via malicious Postscript file upload by an Author level user or higher. The supplied enrichment data classifies it as File Upload mapped to CWE-434 Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type.

Which versions are affected?

Affected product and version evidence is listed in the product table above. Current public advisories should be checked for exact version scope before patch targeting is finalized.

Is there active exploitation?

Exploitation is reported, but no independent confirmation is available in the sources we have. If exploitation is not confirmed from current sources, teams should document that status and continue monitoring KEV, vendor, and telemetry updates.

No. CVE-2026-65640 is not listed in CISA KEV in the supplied enrichment data. KEV status should be monitored because it can change after initial disclosure or after exploitation becomes publicly confirmed.

Is there a public exploit?

1 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. Public exploit or PoC availability should raise triage priority, especially for exposed or business-critical systems.

How can defenders detect it?

Start with web/proxy/WAF logs, application logs, network IDS/IPS where available. Look for vulnerability-class behavior, product errors, suspicious authentication events, exploit probes, and abnormal process activity based only on evidence that applies to the affected product.

How should teams prioritize it?

Prioritize CVE-2026-65640 using CVSS 8.8, EPSS 0%, KEV status, public PoC status, and asset exposure. Internet-facing, privileged, or business-critical deployments should be handled first.

Are workarounds available?

The supplied mitigation guidance says to apply vendor patches and restrict external exposure until fixed. Fixed-version evidence is listed in the mitigation section above.

Which threat actors are linked publicly?

No public threat actor linkage is confirmed from current sources. Do not attribute exploitation to a threat actor unless the source evidence explicitly supports that linkage.

What should be done in the next 24 hours?

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations. Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class. Open remediation tickets with affected assets, owners, evidence status, and detection coverage so decisions are traceable.

highFile Uploadpublic exploit

CVE-2026-65640

CVE-2026-65640 — WordPress is vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability via malicious Postscript file upload by an Author level user or higher

WordPress is vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability via malicious Postscript file upload by an Author level user or higher. Prerequisites: * Imagick and Ghostscript in use on the server * A malicious user with the `upload_files` capability This issue affects all versions of WordPress. Version 7.0.4 has been released, containing a fix for the vulnerability, and as a courtesy to users on older branches the fix has been backported to all branches back to 4.7.

Published Aug 17, 2026Updated Aug 18, 2026Sources: NVD, WordPress (CNA), GitHub, SOCRadar CTI

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Reported

not confirmed by CISA

EPSS

ahead of 0% of scored CVEs

Affects

WordPress

CVSS base

8.8

high

CISA SSVC assessment

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses · SSVC 2.0.3. A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

CISA

Exploitation

None

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

can an attacker script all four kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade WordPress to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
WordPress	WordPress	0 to < 7.0.4	Vulnerable

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

High

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

Low

Attack Vector

Network

Privileges Req

Low

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Source
8.8	CVSS 3.0	high	2.8	5.9	HackerOne (CNA), WordPress (CNA)

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What this weakness leads to

MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.

MITRE

CWE-434 · Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands

Mitigation: Generate a new, unique filename for an uploaded file instead of using the user-supplied filename, so that no external input is used at all.[REF-422] [REF-423]

Weakness & attack patterns

CWE-434Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

Attack patterns reported against this CVE. The ATT&CK techniques below are inferred from its weakness class.

CAPEC-1 · Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs

T1574.010Hijack Execution Flow: ServicesFile Permissions Weakness

Public exploit

Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.

Repositories

Social mentions

Posts naming this CVE. Attention, not evidence of exploitation — it spikes on disclosure and decays whether or not anything is exploited.

12 more posts on this CVEShowing 5 of 17 · Who is discussing this CVE, and how loudlyUnlock free

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable WordPress.
Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 1 public PoC repositories were reported.

web/proxy/WAF logsapplication logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 8.8 (AV:N)
Aug 18, 2026 · NVD
Initial · CVE published
Aug 17, 2026 · NVD

Source activity

Readings a source repeats on a schedule, counted rather than listed.

5×TweetsAug 13, 2026 – Aug 17, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
2×SvrsAug 13, 2026 – Aug 14, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
1×CVE appeared in the Cve Trends.Aug 14, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
1×1 time mentioned on 1 Telegram channelAug 13, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
1×Github_Repos · Github repository created, jobusa755-a11y/CVE-2026-65640-Aug 13, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI

References

1 on the record

wordpress.org/news/2026/08/wordpress-7-0-4-release/
Vendor Advisory

Coverage

2 stories from the feeds we poll

Elsewhere on this site

WordPressevery CVE for this vendor
File Uploadsame class
CWE-434other pages naming this weakness

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-65640 is WordPress is vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability via malicious Postscript file upload by an Author level user or higher, a high vulnerability affecting WordPress from WordPress. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Exploitation is reported, but no independent confirmation is available in the sources we have. Public exploit evidence is: 1 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.