The The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 6.17.3 via the parse_array function
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 05:12 UTC
- EPSS
- 1.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 72% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 12 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| stellarwpThe Events Calendar | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is available, it is recommended to disable comments on tribe_events posts to prevent the attack vector from being triggered. Monitor vendor channels for updates and apply patches promptly once released.
Description
The The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 6.17.3 via the parse_array function. This is due to insufficient validation of the widget 'classes' map, allowing a plain-array payload to bypass the is_safe_widget_instance() object check and reach the callable-invocation sink in Element_Classes::parse_array(). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server. Exploitation requires that the targeted site has comments enabled on tribe_events posts and that at least one comment containing a crafted wp:legacy-widget block has been submitted, as the attack chain is triggered when do_blocks() processes the single-event HTML including the comment area.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78159 (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/the-events-calendar/tags/6.17.3/common/src/Tribe/Utils/Element_Classes.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/the-events-calendar/tags/6.17.3/src/Tribe/Views/V2/Template_Bootstrap.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/the-events-calendar/tags/6.17.3/src/Tribe/Views/V2/Widgets/Service_Provider.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/the-events-calendar/tags/6.17.3/src/views/v2/components/messages.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3667866%40the-events-calendar&new=3667866%40the-events-calendar (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3667867%40the-events-calendar&new=3667867%40the-events-calendar (opens in a new tab)
- wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/cc2ccfeb-6df6-4fee-96a5-94f8dd131f7c?source=cve (opens in a new tab)