CVE-2026-22400: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-22400 is an Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (IDOR) vulnerability in the Mikado-Themes Holmes WordPress theme. It allows authenticated attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, affecting Holmes versions up to and including 1.7. The vulnerability was disclosed on January 22, 2026, by Patchstack. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (Medium), assigned by Patchstack (NVD, Patchstack).

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key), commonly known as an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR). The flaw arises from the Holmes WordPress theme failing to properly validate or restrict user-controlled keys used to access or manipulate objects, allowing a low-privileged authenticated user to reference resources or perform actions beyond their intended authorization level. Exploitation requires network access and a low-privilege authenticated account, with no user interaction needed (NVD, Patchstack).

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability by an authenticated attacker can result in unauthorized modification of data (low integrity impact) and limited disruption to availability (low availability impact) on affected WordPress sites running the Holmes theme. Confidentiality impact is assessed as none in the updated scoring. The scope is limited to the affected system, with no direct path to lateral movement, but unauthorized data manipulation could undermine site integrity (NVD).

No public proof-of-concept exploit code or evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for CVE-2026-22400. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The EPSS score is approximately 0.017%, indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. Exploitation requires at least a low-privileged authenticated account on the target WordPress site (NVD, Patchstack).

Users of the Holmes WordPress theme by Mikado-Themes should update to a version beyond 1.7 if a patched release is available, or contact the theme vendor for remediation guidance. As an interim measure, site administrators should restrict access to the WordPress site to trusted authenticated users and monitor for unauthorized changes to content or settings. Disabling the theme until a patch is confirmed is advisable for high-risk environments (Patchstack).