CVE-2026-85655
Enable Media Replace <= 4.2.2 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Author+) Post Content Modification via Media Replacement Workflow
Description
The Enable Media Replace plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.2. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to modify the post_content of any published post referencing the replaced media — including Administrator-owned posts — making changes immediately visible to unauthenticated visitors. The doReplaceQuery() method performs a database-wide search-and-replace across all posts containing the old media URL without any per-post capability check, meaning a single Author-triggered request can silently overwrite a large number of posts that WordPress's standard admin UI and REST API would otherwise forbid that user from editing.
INFO
Published Date :
Oct. 28, 2026, 8:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 28, 2026, 8:16 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | MITRE-CVE | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update the Enable Media Replace plugin.
- Apply vendor patches if available.
- Review plugin access controls.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-85655.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-85655 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-85655
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-85655 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-85655 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Oct. 28, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description The Enable Media Replace plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.2. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to modify the post_content of any published post referencing the replaced media — including Administrator-owned posts — making changes immediately visible to unauthenticated visitors. The doReplaceQuery() method performs a database-wide search-and-replace across all posts containing the old media URL without any per-post capability check, meaning a single Author-triggered request can silently overwrite a large number of posts that WordPress's standard admin UI and REST API would otherwise forbid that user from editing. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N Added CWE CWE-862 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/85xxx/CVE-2026-85655.json">CVE-2026-85655</a> Added Reference https://github.com/short-pixel-optimizer/enable-media-replace/releases/tag/v4.2.3 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.1.9/build/shortpixel/replacer/src/Replacer.php#L250 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.1.9/classes/Controller/ReplaceController.php#L253 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.1.9/classes/ViewController/UploadViewController.php#L59 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.1.9/classes/ViewController/UploadViewController.php#L66 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.2.2/build/shortpixel/replacer/src/Replacer.php#L250 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.2.2/classes/Controller/ReplaceController.php#L253 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.2.2/classes/ViewController/UploadViewController.php#L59 Added Reference https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/enable-media-replace/tags/4.2.2/classes/ViewController/UploadViewController.php#L66 Added Reference https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/aff42473-63c6-41ca-8312-058f213e2302?source=cve