CVE-2026-85655

MEDIUM CVSS 4.3
Published: 2026-10-28
Modified: 2026-10-29
Enriched via mock
Tenable Plugin

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AI Threat Summary

CVE-2026-85655 is a moderate vulnerability with a CVSS score of 4.3 affecting the target software. Authentication can be bypassed allowing unauthenticated access. Threat hunters should monitor for exploit attempts and apply vendor patches immediately.

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.

Attack Chain
1
Reconnaissance

Attacker identifies authentication endpoint and tests for bypass conditions

2
Initial Access

Attacker exploits CVE-2026-85655 authentication flaw to gain unauthorized access without valid credentials

3
Discovery

Attacker enumerates accessible resources, users, and configurations

4
Collection

Attacker exfiltrates sensitive data accessible without proper authorization

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1078 Valid Accounts
Initial Access

Authentication bypass grants attacker access as legitimate user

T1548 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
Privilege Escalation

Bypassed auth may grant elevated or admin-level permissions

Indicators of Compromise
Type Value Description
user_agent Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; exploit/1.0) Generic exploit scanner user agent pattern
url /api/vuln-endpoint?payload=<malicious> Exploit attempt against application endpoint — monitor access logs for anomalous params
Remediation
1. Apply vendor-supplied security patches immediately. 2. If patches are unavailable, apply recommended mitigations from the vendor advisory. 3. Enable WAF rules or IDS signatures to detect exploitation attempts. 4. Monitor logs for indicators of compromise listed above. 5. Implement network segmentation to limit blast radius if exploitation occurs. 6. Subscribe to vendor security advisories for this product.
Quick Facts
CVE ID CVE-2026-85655
CVSS Score 4.3
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Published 2026-10-28
Exploited No
CISA KEV No
PoC Not public
References
External Resources
NVD Entry BleepingComputer The Hacker News