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Urgent WordPress Security Flaw Exploited by Hackers
20 Jul
Summary
- Hackers exploit critical WordPress security flaws in vulnerable websites.
- Tens of millions of WordPress sites were estimated vulnerable.
- WordPress released urgent patches for two severe security vulnerabilities.
Hackers are actively compromising websites running vulnerable versions of WordPress, with cybersecurity firms issuing urgent warnings. WordPress recently patched two critical security flaws and strongly advised users to update their software immediately. These vulnerabilities are severe enough that WordPress initiated forced updates for some users.
Cybersecurity companies have confirmed that malicious actors are exploiting these vulnerabilities in the wild. Estimates suggest that tens of millions of WordPress websites may have been running susceptible versions before the patches were widely applied. Vulnerable versions include 6.9.0 through 6.9.4, and 7.0.0 to 7.0.1. However, proactive measures like automatic updates and cybersecurity protections have mitigated the overall impact.
One critical bug, dubbed WP2Shell, was reported by Searchlight Cyber. When combined with another bug, these vulnerabilities allow hackers to gain full remote control over targeted websites. The swift patching and deployment of security measures by WordPress and other providers have been credited with limiting the number of compromised sites.
