CVE-2026-87909: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mx4x-6r5x-jrh9
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-87909 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-87909 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-87909
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mx4x-6r5x-jrh9
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-87909

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-87909, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The WP Photo Album Plus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions via the wppa_image_magick function. This is due to insufficient sanitization of the multipart upload filename before concatenation into an ImageMagick command string executed via exec(), with only escapeshellcmd() applied to the whole command rather than quoting individual arguments. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to execute code on the server. escapeshellcmd() escapes shell metacharacters but does not prevent argument injection because spaces remain as argument separators, and the filename sanitization applied at the database layer is never applied to the physical temporary file path used for ImageMagick processing.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-87909 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-87909
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-al... WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-functions.php#L4837
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-al... WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-functions.php#L5286
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-al... WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-photo-files.php#L281
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-al... WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-photo-files.php#L860
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset WEB
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3701613%40wp-photo-album-plus&new=3701613%40wp-photo-album-plus
www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulner... WEB
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/693c7554-5122-4527-8a9c-aa31ea9623b7?source=cve

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-87909?
CVE-2026-87909 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-87909?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-87909?
CVE-2026-87909 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-87909?
CVE-2026-87909 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-87909?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-mx4x-6r5x-jrh9",
  "modified" : "2026-09-19T03:32:03Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-19T03:32:02Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-87909" ],
  "details" : "The WP Photo Album Plus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions via the wppa_image_magick function. This is due to insufficient sanitization of the multipart upload filename before concatenation into an ImageMagick command string executed via exec(), with only escapeshellcmd() applied to the whole command rather than quoting individual arguments. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to execute code on the server. escapeshellcmd() escapes shell metacharacters but does not prevent argument injection because spaces remain as argument separators, and the filename sanitization applied at the database layer is never applied to the physical temporary file path used for ImageMagick processing.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-87909"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-functions.php#L4837"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-functions.php#L5286"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-photo-files.php#L281"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-photo-album-plus/trunk/wppa-photo-files.php#L860"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3701613%40wp-photo-album-plus&new=3701613%40wp-photo-album-plus"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/693c7554-5122-4527-8a9c-aa31ea9623b7?source=cve"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-19T03:17:15Z"
  }
}