Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-18072 is a critical-severity Embedded Malicious Code (CWE-506) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Embedded Payloads (T1027.009); ranked in the top 43% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SC-44 (Detonation Chambers) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-50111
Vulnerability Data
The Advanced Responsive Video Embedder for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick … plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via a Hardcoded Backdoor in version 10.8.7. The vulnerability exists because the `_arve_uc_init()` function — registered on WordPress's `init` hook…
more
at priority 1 so that it runs before any authentication checks on every request — reads an attacker-supplied token from the `_wplogin` (or `_wpm`) parameter and compares it against a hardcoded SHA-256 hash embedded directly in the plugin source, with no nonce verification, no capability check, and no password validation anywhere in the flow. Because this static hash constitutes a set of universal credentials that are publicly accessible in the plugin's source code, unauthenticated attackers can supply the known token to be authenticated as an arbitrarily selected existing administrator account, gaining full administrative control over the affected WordPress site. This was likely introduced by an attacker who gained commit access to the developers account.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 3 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover embedded malicious code before release.
Detonation chambers can reveal embedded malicious code through controlled execution analysis.
Integrity verification tools directly detect unauthorized or malicious code insertions.
Tamper-resistance and detection mechanisms identify malicious code introduced via the supply chain.
Component authenticity requirements reduce the chance malicious code is embedded by developers or suppliers.
Component authenticity controls stop introduction of malicious or counterfeit code into the product.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Due diligence prior to supplier relationships helps avoid sources of embedded malicious code.
Supplier risk assessment reduces likelihood of receiving products containing malicious code.
Assessing authenticity and integrity before acquisition catches embedded malicious code.
Pre-acquisition assessment of critical suppliers mitigates risk of malicious code in procured software.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent introduction of malicious code during development.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring suppliers to furnish component lists, attestations, and cryptographic verification of delivered artefacts makes it harder for an attacker to embed hidden malicious code that would otherwise go undetected through the supply chain.
Checks that executed code has not been tampered with and monitoring for malware-associated activity reduce the likelihood that hidden malicious code remains active.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (higher-evidence rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271452 OL 9 must use a Linux Security Module configured to enforce limits on system services. prevents CWE-506
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
- V-258078 RHEL 9 must use a Linux Security Module configured to enforce limits on system services. prevents CWE-506