2 posts tagged with "malware"

In early 2026, the WordPress ecosystem was rocked by a widespread security breach that infected over 40,000 sites. The culprit? A critical administrative bypass vulnerability in the Modular DS Connector plugin, tracked as CVE-2026-23550.

The Vulnerability: CVE-2026-23550​

The vulnerability is a classic example of a flawed authentication check. The plugin's isDirectRequest() method, intended to validate requests from the central Modular DS dashboard, could be tricked by simply adding origin=mo to the URL parameters.

This allowed unauthenticated attackers to target the /api/modular-connector/login/ endpoint and gain full administrative access to the site.

Key Facts:​

• Severity: 10/10 (Critical)
• Impact: Complete site takeover
• Active Exploitation: Detected starting January 13, 2026
• Affected Version: 2.5.1 and earlier
• Fixed Version: 2.5.2

The Impact​

Because Modular DS is a multi-site management tool, the breach was particularly devastating. Attackers could potentially leverage access to a central dashboard to compromise all connected WordPress installations.

Common indicators of compromise (IoCs) include:

• Unexpected administrative accounts created.
• Malicious scripts injected into theme files.
• Redirects to phishing pages or fraudulent content.

Defensive Measures​

1. Update Immediately: Ensure the Modular DS Connector plugin is updated to at least version 2.5.2.
2. Regenerate Salts: If you were running a vulnerable version, it is highly recommended to regenerate your WordPress salts.
3. Audit Admin Users: Review all administrator accounts and remove any that are unrecognized.
4. Scan for Malware: Use a reputable security plugin to scan your files and database for malicious code.

Vulnerability Checker​

I have built a simple Python-based tool to check if a WordPress site is still vulnerable to this specific bypass.

View Code

View Code on GitHub

# Quick check example
python checker.py https://your-wordpress-site.com

This tool performs a non-intrusive check on the specific endpoint using the known bypass parameters to identify if the vulnerability is present.

Stay safe and keep your plugins updated!

In February 2026, a widespread malware campaign targeted thousands of WordPress sites, exploiting vulnerabilities in outdated plugins. One significant flaw was CVE-2025-67987, a critical SQL injection vulnerability in the popular "Quiz And Survey Master" (QSM) plugin.

To help developers and site owners identify these threats, I've built WP Malware Sentinel, a lightweight CLI tool that scans WordPress installations for known malware signatures and audits installed plugins for specific high-risk vulnerabilities.

Key Features​

• Signature Scanning: Detects common malware patterns like obfuscated eval(base64_decode()), suspicious shell executions, and embedded malicious iframes.
• Vulnerability Auditing: Specifically checks for vulnerable versions of plugins involved in current active campaigns (e.g., QSM versions prior to 10.3.2).
• Fast and Extensible: Built with Symfony Components (Finder, Console) for high performance and easy integration into CI/CD or agent workflows.

How it Works​

The scanner traverses the file system looking for signatures defined in its internal database. It also parses readme.txt files of installed plugins to verify stable versions against known vulnerable releases.

# Run a scan on the current directory
./bin/wp-sentinel scan .

Technical Implementation​

The project is written in PHP 8.4 and utilizes PSR-4 autoloading. It includes a comprehensive test suite using PHPUnit to ensure reliable detection without false positives in common WordPress codebases.

View Code

View Code