CVE-2016-6897

What it is

Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the wp_ajax_update_plugin function in wp-admin/includes/ajax-actions.php in WordPress before 4.6 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of subscribers for /dev/random read operations by leveraging a late call to the check_ajax_referer function, a related issue to CVE-2016-6896.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in, but needs a user to act. High risk of data exposure.

Exploit odds

28.8% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS). Higher than most.

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2017-01-18 21:59 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 00:51 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 28.8% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 6.5 MEDIUM (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2017-01-18 21:59 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 00:51 UTC

Exploit probability

28.8% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-352 · Cross-site request forgery

Record status

Modified

Affected

• WordPress ≤ 4.5.5

Attack profile CVSS 3.0 · 6.5

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

None

Availability

None

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2016-6897.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2016-6897. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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