CISA Adds WordPress Core TOCTOU Race Condition to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. The entry is CVE-2026-119977, a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerability in WordPress Core.

TOCTOU race conditions occur when an attacker exploits a timing discrepancy between a check of a condition and the use of that condition, potentially allowing unauthorized actions, privilege escalation, or data corruption. CISA noted that this vulnerability type is a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and poses significant risks to the federal enterprise.

Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04: Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk establishes vulnerability management requirements for Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies. The directive reinforces the importance of the KEV Catalog and requires federal agencies to prioritize rapid remediation of high-risk vulnerabilities listed in the KEV Catalog on publicly exposed assets that grant total control of the asset post-exploitation, while deferring action for lower-risk vulnerabilities. BOD 26-04 further establishes basic expectations for when agencies must check whether threat actors compromised the system before the patch was applied.

While BOD 26-04 applies only to FCEB agencies, CISA encourages all organizations to adopt risk-based vulnerability management and prioritize remediation of KEV Catalog vulnerabilities. CISA will continue to add vulnerabilities to the catalog that meet the specified criteria.

Organizations aware of an exploited vulnerability not currently listed in the KEV Catalog can submit it for potential addition through CISA’s KEV Nomination Form. Potential KEV additions must have a CVE ID, evidence of exploitation, and clear mitigation guidance.