Summary
The Yoast Duplicate Post plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the clone_bulk_action_handler() and republish_request() functions in all versions up to, and including, 4.5. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to duplicate any post on the site including private, draft, and trashed posts they shouldn't have access to. Additionally, attackers with Author-level access and above can use the Rewrite & Republish feature to overwrite any published post with their own content.
Impact
The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation. Typical impact: unauthorized access to restricted functionality or data.
CVE-2026-1217 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.6); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-1217? CVE-2026-1217 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in yoast/duplicate-post (composer), affecting versions <= 4.5. It is fixed in 4.6. The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation.
- How severe is CVE-2026-1217? CVE-2026-1217 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of yoast/duplicate-post are affected by CVE-2026-1217? yoast/duplicate-post (composer) versions <= 4.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-1217? Yes. CVE-2026-1217 is fixed in 4.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-1217 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-1217 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-1217 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-1217? Upgrade
yoast/duplicate-postto 4.6 or later.