CVE-2026-8206
High PUBLISHEDKirki 6.0.0 - 6.0.6 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via 'handle_forgot_password'
Not yet in CISA KEV
Recommended Action
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
At a Glance
The Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation via account takeover in all versions 6.0.0 to 6.0.6. This is due to the plugin accepting an arbitrary email address when a username is used in the password reset request. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to send a password reset link for any user registered on the site to their own email address.
- CVE Published
- Jun 02, 2026
- Exploitation Reported
- Jun 03, 2026
- CVSS
- 9.8 Critical
- EPSS
- 1.3%
Affected Versions
| Vendor | Product | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| themeum |
Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer
|
6.0.0 to <= 6.0.6 |
Affected |
CVE References
- wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3b5630bd-5bc... wordfence.com · CVE Record https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3b5630bd-5b...
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/tags/6.0.4/ComponentLibrary/co... plugins.trac.wordpress.org · CVE Record https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/tags/6.0.4/Component...
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/trunk/ComponentLibrary/control... plugins.trac.wordpress.org · CVE Record https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/trunk/ComponentLibra...
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/trunk/ComponentLibrary/control... plugins.trac.wordpress.org · CVE Record https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/trunk/ComponentLibra...
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/tags/6.0.4/ComponentLibrary/co... plugins.trac.wordpress.org · CVE Record https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/tags/6.0.4/Component...
Show 3 more references
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/trunk/ComponentLibrary/control... plugins.trac.wordpress.org · CVE Record https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/trunk/ComponentLibra...
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/tags/6.0.4/ComponentLibrary/co... plugins.trac.wordpress.org · CVE Record https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/kirki/tags/6.0.4/Component...
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3530843/kirki plugins.trac.wordpress.org · CVE Record https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3530843/kirki
Recommended Actions
- Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| BleepingComputer First | 2026-06-03 08:20 UTC |
No detection artifacts or sensor request patterns are available for this CVE yet.
Check back as sensor telemetry and scanner integrations are updated.
Virtual Patch
Compensating WAF rules to help reduce exposure to this CVE. Rule content and deployable vendor exports are available with KEVIntel Enterprise.
KEVIntel does not currently have a virtual patch for this CVE. When available, KEVIntel virtual patches ship as deployable ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF rules.
Enterprise feature. Virtual patch rule content and deployable vendor exports (ModSecurity, Cloudflare, AWS WAF) are available to KEVIntel Enterprise users.
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploitation Status
Exploited in the wild
Recorded 2026-06-03 08:20:49 UTC · BleepingComputer
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2026-06-05 09:59:45 UTC · GitHub
Weaknesses (CWE)
-
Improper Privilege Management
Recent Mentions
BleepingComputer · Jun 02, 2026
Hackers are exploiting a critical privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2026-8206) in the Kirki plugin for WordPress to take over any user account, including those belonging to administrators. [...]
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
github · Created 2026-07-08 00:14:55 UTC · 0 stars
CVE-2026-8206 - Kirki WordPress Plugin Unauthenticated Account Takeover - PoC & Analysis | CVSS 9.8 CRITICAL | AMN SECURITY
github · Created 2026-06-17 09:50:33 UTC · 0 stars
CVE-2026-8206 Kirki Plugin Unauthenticated Account Takeover Exploit
github · Created 2026-06-05 09:59:45 UTC · 0 stars
github · Created 2026-06-02 10:53:31 UTC · 2 stars
Mass exploitation tool for CVE-2026-8206 – Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via 'handle_forgot_password' in Kirki WordPress plugin (≤6.0.6).
Timeline
Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.
-
08:20 UTC about 2 months ago08:20 UTC · about 2 months ago
Added to KEVIntel KEV Feed
High-confidence, third-party attested exploitation
-
10:53 UTC about 2 months ago10:53 UTC · about 2 months ago
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
03:28 UTC about 2 months ago03:28 UTC · about 2 months ago
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
01:00 UTC 2 months ago01:00 UTC · 2 months ago
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2026-8206
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2026-8206",
"title": "Kirki 6.0.0 - 6.0.6 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via \'handle_forgot...",
"affected_vendor": "themeum",
"affected_product": "Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer",
"affected_versions": [
{ "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
],
"confidence": "High",
"cvss_score": 9.8,
"epss_score": 0.0126,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}