Unauthenticated remote code installation in a widely deployed Joomla plugin enabling large-scale site compromise and backdoor deployment; high newsworthiness and operational impact.
CVE-2026-97163
Unauthenticated remote code installation in Joomla UP plugin (critical RCE).
Is CVE-2026-97163 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-97163 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 0.42% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-97163?
CVE-2026-97163 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 10.0. 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-2026-97163?
Not known from our data. No patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-97163, 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-2026-97163 affect?
CVE-2026-97163 affects Joomla UP plugin 5.0.0-5.2.0, Joomla UP plugin 6.0.0-6.0.29, Websites running affected UP plugin. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-97163?
Remove/disable UP plugin, apply vendor patch when released, audit for backdoors and restore from clean backups.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Unauthenticated remote code installation allowing full site compromise, remote code execution, backdoors and data theft.
Immediate action required
- affected5.0.0-5.2.0
- affected6.0.0-6.0.29
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.