Allows unauthenticated admin takeover of WordPress sites via a widely used SAML SSO plugin; high-impact, remote, and easy to exploit across many sites.
CVE-2026-15981
Authentication bypass in WordPress SAML SSO plugin allows attacker admin login.
Is CVE-2026-15981 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-15981 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.81% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-15981?
CVE-2026-15981 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-15981?
Not known from our data. No patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-15981, which is not the same as no patch existing — a fix may have shipped without a tagged reference, or after this record was written. The vendor advisory is the only authority on whether a fix exists, and mitigations may be available regardless.
What does CVE-2026-15981 affect?
CVE-2026-15981 affects WordPress SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login plugin <= 5.4.4, WordPress sites using the affected plugin. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-15981?
Update to vendor-fixed version or disable plugin; implement WAF rule to block malicious SAMLResponses.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Unauthenticated attackers can bypass SAML verification and log in as any user, including administrators, enabling full site takeover.
Immediate action required
- affected<= 5.4.4
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.