Authorization Flaw in wp-graphql/wp-graphql (CVE-2026-88974)
Summary
Vulnerability in wp-graphql/wp-graphql (CVE-2026-88974). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. Exploitable via updatePost.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
Summary
WPGraphQL 2.19.0 contains an authorization bypass in the updatePost mutation. An authenticated WordPress Contributor can change one of their own draft posts to PUBLISH despite lacking the publish_posts capability. The same mutation also permits the Contributor to modify their own previously published posts despite lacking edit_published_posts and failing WordPress's object-level edit_post capability check.
This bypasses the standard WordPress editorial workflow. The WordPress REST API correctly rejects the equivalent operations for the same user.
Affected software
- Plugin: WPGraphQL
- Plugin slug:
wp-graphql - Confirmed affected version:
2.19.0 - Plugin URL: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-graphql/
- Repository: https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphql
- WordPress version used for testing:
7.0.2 - WPGraphQL configuration: default settings
Only version 2.19.0 is claimed as confirmed because that is the version tested. The same authorization pattern appears in earlier source history, but those releases were not independently tested.
Vulnerability type
- Broken access control / authorization bypass
- CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
- OWASP 2021: A01 – Broken Access Control
- Minimum required role: Contributor
Technical cause
src/Mutation/PostObjectUpdate.php checks only the post type's collection-level edit_posts capability:
if ( ! isset( $post_type_object->cap->edit_posts ) || ! current_user_can( $post_type_object->cap…
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-88974 has been found in wp-graphql/wp-graphql.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like updatePost over the network to misuse the product.
Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. CVSS score: 5.4/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "wp-graphql/wp-graphql CVE-2026-88974" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-88974 (wp-graphql/wp-graphql) — CWE-863 / CVSS v3 5.4
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / no user interaction
Attack surface: updatePost / PUBLISH / publish_posts / edit_published_posts
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
Incorrect authorization (CWE-863) exists in wp-graphql/wp-graphql. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via updatePost.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of wp-graphql/wp-graphql. Attack surface: updatePost / PUBLISH / publish_posts / edit_published_posts.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.4/10). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Run grep -r 'wp-graphql/wp-graphql' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'wp-graphql/wp-graphql' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
wp-graphql/wp-graphqlを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
References
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