WordPress security changelog
CRITICAL CVE-2026-78477 Deferred

Jawn permits unauthenticated privilege escalation to Administrator

The Jawn theme through 1.4.2 permits an unauthenticated attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator, allowing full control of the WordPress site.

CVE / CNA score 9.8 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
Jawn
Plugin slug
jawn
Affected
<= 1.4.2
Safe version
See mitigation notes
Published
Aug 25, 2026
Weakness
CWE-266 — Incorrect Privilege Assignment

This CVE was published Aug 25, 2026 and is one of 2 known issues for this theme.

Update, patch or deactivate.

No fixed release is identified. Update when a confirmed patch is available; until then, replace or deactivate the theme when warranted, audit administrator accounts and role changes, and invalidate suspicious sessions.

No confirmed safe version is listed. Consider a vendor-supported patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality while you assess the risk.

Deactivate only when warranted by your risk profile, or when advised by your hosting provider in the limited circumstances where the vulnerability cannot otherwise be mitigated. If you’re unsure which action is appropriate, contact Fused or your hosting provider for guidance.

Technical description

The Jawn theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.2. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to elevate their privileges to that of an administrator.

CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary and upstream sources