WPGraphQL: Contributor can publish and modify posts without the required capabilities via updatePost

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.4 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L

EPSS

• CVE-2026-88974: 0.38% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 32.05 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary WPGraphQL 2.19.0 contains an authorization bypass in the `updatePost` mutation. An authenticated WordPress Contributor can change one of their own draft posts to `PUBLISH` despite lacking the `publish_posts` capability. The same mutation also permits the Contributor to modify their own previously published posts despite lacking `edit_published_posts` and failing WordPress's object-level `edit_post` capability check. This bypasses the standard WordPress editorial workflow. The WordPress REST API correctly rejects the equivalent operations for the same user.

Affected software - Plugin: WPGraphQL - Plugin slug: `wp-graphql` - Confirmed affected version: `2.19.0` - Plugin URL: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-graphql/ - Repository: https://github.com/wp-graphql/wp-graphql - WordPress version used for testing: `7.0.2` - WPGraphQL configuration: default settings Only version 2.19.0 is claimed as confirmed because that is the version tested. The same authorization pattern…

Published by the source

23 Sep 2026, 14:13 UTC

Last modified by the source

23 Sep 2026, 14:30 UTC

Source last checked

23 Oct 2026, 22:04 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-5mmc-8pc9-wggg

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-88974

Advisory: WPGraphQL: Contributor can publish and modify posts without the required capabilities via updatePost
IDs: CVE-2026-88974, GHSA-5mmc-8pc9-wggg
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-88974 (revision 1, source checked 23 Oct 2026, 22:04 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.4)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor response not established. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Packagist wp-graphql/wp-graphql: affected every version

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Packagist wp-graphql/wp-graphql: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
No complete vendor fix is recorded. Follow the primary source's mitigation guidance and check this record again before closing anything.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on wp-graphql/wp-graphql.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-5mmc-8pc9-wggg (OSV record GHSA-5mmc-8pc9-wggg lists affected ranges: Packagist wp-graphql/wp-graphql >=0)

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