WordPress has Released a Security Update

PUBLISHED:
6 February 2017

WordPress has Released a Security Update

WordPress 4.7.1 and prior versions are affected by multiple vulnerabilities. A remote attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected website.

Vulnerabilities Addressed

WordPress versions 4.7.1 and earlier are affected by four issues:

1. The user interface for assigning taxonomy terms in Press, This is shown to users who do not have permissions to use it.
2. WP_Query is vulnerable to a SQL injection (SQLi) when passing unsafe data. WordPress core is not directly vulnerable to this issue, but we’ve added hardening to prevent plug-ins and themes from accidentally causing a vulnerability.
3. A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability was discovered in the posts list table
4. An unauthenticated privilege escalation vulnerability was discovered in a REST API endpoint.

On February 1, WordPress disclosed an additional vulnerability that is fixed in version 4.7.2.

Recommended Course Of Action

TechCERT encourages users and administrators to review the WordPress Security Release and upgrade to WordPress 4.7.2.

Additional Information

• https://wordpress.org/news/2017/01/wordpress-4-7-2-security-release/
• https://make.wordpress.org/core/2017/02/01/disclosure-of-additional-security-fix-in-wordpress-4-7-2/