WPMU DEV Dashboard <= 5.0.0 - Authentication Bypass to Arbitrary Plugin Installation (Remote Code Execution) via Forged WDP_AUTH HMAC on ?wpmudev-hub= Endpoint
| CVE | CVE-2026-15459 |
|---|---|
| CVSS | 8.1 (High) |
| Publicly Published | August 5, 2026 |
| Last Updated | August 6, 2026 |
| Researcher |
Austin Ginder
- Anchor Hosting
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Description
The WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 5.0.0. On sites not yet connected to the WPMU DEV Hub — the default state after installation — the site API key that keys the WDP-AUTH request signature is empty, making the signature verified by validate_hash() trivially forgeable; version 5.0.0 additionally removed the replay check in validate_nonce(), and the remote handler is bound to the public init hook with no capability check. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to invoke privileged Hub actions — including installing and activating a plugin from an attacker-supplied URL (resulting in remote code execution), deleting plugins and themes, upgrading WordPress core, or logging in as an administrator via SSO. Sites connected to a WPMU DEV account, which have a non-empty 64-character API key, are not affected.
Wordfence blocked 603 attacks targeting this vulnerability in the past 24 hours.
Learn more about Authentication Bypass vulnerabilities and how to prevent them.
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Vulnerability Details for WPMU DEV Dashboard
| Software Type | Plugin |
|---|---|
| Software Slug | wpmudev-updates |
| Patched? | Yes |
| Remediation | Update to version 5.0.1, or a newer patched version |
| Affected Version |
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| Patched Version |
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