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HuttenlocherTechnologies
CriticalCVSS 9.8WordPress plugins & themes

CVE-2026-111862

Rank Math SEO PRO for WordPress is affected by a supply-chain compromise in a subset of version 3.0.123 packages downloaded or updated between October 15, 2026

Rank Math SEO PRO for WordPress is affected by a supply-chain compromise in a subset of version 3.0.123 packages downloaded or updated between October 15, 2026 at 20:02 UTC and October 16, 2026 at 07:12 UTC. Rank Math states that the affected plugin files contained malware that could compromise a website if the plugin was activated and directs sites that activated an affected package to treat the website as compromised. The malware may establish persistent access, communicate with rank1cdn[.]com, recreate hidden backdoors on page visits, and expose WordPress credentials, database credentials, API keys, and other secrets accessible to the web server. Rank Math identifies three malicious wp_options keys, hidden PHP backdoors, unauthorized administrator accounts, a fake WordPress core file, PHP-executable .cache files, and a system cron marker as incident indicators. Only packages obtained during the vendor-confirmed window are claimed as affected; version 3.0.123 alone is not sufficient to establish compromise. Rank Math removed the affected files and released version 3.0.124 as the clean replacement.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by Wordfence

What to do: Update the plugin to the newest version.

What it means for a small business

this software is a WordPress plugin. If your website uses it, the flaw is on your site whether or not anyone has noticed yet: attackers scan the whole internet for the plugins with published flaws, usually within days of a record like this one going public.

Most small-business sites run 15 to 40 plugins, and few owners know the list. You can check from WordPress itself (Plugins, then Installed Plugins), or let our free plugin check look it up by name.

Our write-up

We covered this one in detail, with the fixed versions and the steps: Rank Math SEO PRO 3.0.123 Malware: Who Needs to Act.

Check your own setup

  • Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
  • Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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