CVE-2026-45293

CVE-2026-45293 is a high-severity security vulnerability in wp-coding-standards/wpcs (composer), affecting versions >= 0.14.1, < 3.4.1. It is fixed in 3.4.1.

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Runtime intelligence, not another scanner.

Summary

WordPress Coding Standards (WordPressCS) contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability

Workaround

Users of the WordPress and WordPress-Extra rulesets, who cannot upgrade immediately, can disable the affected sniff by adding an <exclude> tag to their custom ruleset (the <rule> ref value might vary depending on the ruleset):

<rule ref="WordPress">
	<exclude name="WordPress.WP.EnqueuedResourceParameters"/>
</rule>

To verify that the sniff has been disabled, run PHPCS with the -e flag, which lists all the sniffs a standard will run. WordPress.WP.EnqueuedResourceParameters should no longer appear in the output under the WordPress section:

phpcs -e --standard=/path/to/ruleset.xml

Credits

Many thanks to @FORIMOC for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability.

How can I report a security bug?

Please report security vulnerabilities privately via the "Security and quality" tab on the WPCS repository.

Impact

WordPress Coding Standards (WordPressCS) versions before 3.4.1 contain an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in the WordPress.WP.EnqueuedResourceParameters sniff. As a result, running PHPCS with WordPressCS over untrusted PHP code, for example, in a CI pipeline that lints pull requests, or on a developer machine reviewing third-party code, could lead to arbitrary command execution on the scanning host.

This affects users of the WordPress and WordPress-Extra rulesets. The WordPress-Core ruleset and the WordPress-Docs ruleset are not affected.

The vulnerability happens when the sniff checks whether the $var argument passed to functions such as wp_enqueue_script() or wp_register_script() evaluates to a falsy value. The sniff's is_falsy() method reconstructed the argument and ran it through eval(). Because of this, a maliciously crafted $ver argument such as 'system'('id') would be executed during the scan.

CVE-2026-45293 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (3.4.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

wp-coding-standards/wpcs (>= 0.14.1, < 3.4.1)

Security releases

wp-coding-standards/wpcs → 3.4.1 (composer)

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.

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Remediation advice

This issue has been fixed in WordPressCS 3.4.1. We recommend all users upgrade to 3.4.1 or later.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is CVE-2026-45293? CVE-2026-45293 is a high-severity security vulnerability in wp-coding-standards/wpcs (composer), affecting versions >= 0.14.1, < 3.4.1. It is fixed in 3.4.1.
  2. How severe is CVE-2026-45293? CVE-2026-45293 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). 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.
  3. Which versions of wp-coding-standards/wpcs are affected by CVE-2026-45293? wp-coding-standards/wpcs (composer) versions >= 0.14.1, < 3.4.1 is affected.
  4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-45293? Yes. CVE-2026-45293 is fixed in 3.4.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
  5. Is CVE-2026-45293 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-45293 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
  6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-45293 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.
  7. How do I fix CVE-2026-45293? Upgrade wp-coding-standards/wpcs to 3.4.1 or later.

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