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9.8

The Events Calendar plugin lets strangers run code

CVE-2026-78006 · published 19 days ago
Summary

All versions of the The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress up to 6.17.4 are at risk. An attacker could post a comment on an event and cause the site to execute their own code, potentially taking control of the server. Update the plugin to a newer version or, if you cannot update right away, turn off comments on event pages until you can apply the fix.

What to do

The CVE record does not list a fixed version. Check the vendor's site or the advisory links below - a fix may already be released.

Affected software
VendorProductAffected versions
stellarwp the events calendar <= 6.17.4
Original advisory text
The The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 6.17.4 via the is_safe_widget_instance function. This is due to insufficien...
The The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 6.17.4 via the is_safe_widget_instance function. This is due to insufficient protection in is_safe_widget_instance, which can be bypassed because PHP fires magic methods during its pre-parse, combined with enable_rendering_widget_copied() forging a valid wp_hash integrity attribute before unserialize() is reached. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server. This is exploitable without authentication or approval because the plugin's V2 single-event template runs do_blocks() over buffered comment HTML, and WordPress returns a moderation-hash URL that allows an unauthenticated commenter to immediately view their own pending comment, delivering the injected block markup to the vulnerable code path before any moderation occurs. This does require comments to be enabled and visible on events.
References
Fix within
Internet-facing 3 days
Internal 60 days
  • Not known to be exploited
  • Can be exploited automatically
  • Gives an attacker full control
Severity
9.8 Critical
Exploitation
1% chance of attack within 30 days
Type
CWE-502Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Timeline
Published12 Sep 2026
Updated30 Sep 2026
First seen12 Sep 2026
Sources
CVE-2026-78006 · NVD
CVE-2026-78006 · MITRE
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