Last month in December 2025, the Wordfence Bug Bounty Program received 759 vulnerability submissions from our growing community of security researchers working to improve the overall security posture of the WordPress ecosystem. These submissions are reviewed, triaged, and processed by the Wordfence Threat Intelligence team, with validated vulnerabilities responsibly disclosed to vendors, often through the Wordfence Vulnerability Management Portal – a free service for all WordPress vendors, and protected through the Wordfence Firewall where appropriate.
Our mission with the Wordfence Bug Bounty Program is to engage the broader security community in identifying and responsibly disclosing vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins and themes, so we can work with vendors to get them patched before attackers discover them. This collaborative effort enables Wordfence to accelerate patch adoption, provide early protection to millions of websites, and ensure that high-quality vulnerability intelligence reaches the WordPress ecosystem as efficiently as possible. It also ensures that we are able to remediate vulnerabilities before attackers are able to discover them and start exploiting them. That is why we reward researchers for valid submissions, and why we remain committed to processing every report with transparency, accuracy, and urgency.
Join the Wordfence Bug Bounty Program
Help secure the WordPress ecosystem while earning rewards for your security research.
We’re actively seeking skilled researchers to identify vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins and themes, with prompt payments and transparent processes.
As the most comprehensive and highest-quality WordPress vulnerability program, the Wordfence Bug Bounty Program plays a critical role in helping site owners, developers, and hosting providers stay ahead of emerging threats at all stages of the open source lifecycle.
In this report, we highlight key metrics of the Bug Bounty Program from December 2025, recognize the researchers contributing to WordPress security, and provide insight into the vulnerabilities uncovered and addressed.
If you’re interested in joining the program or learning more about how we responsibly manage disclosures and protect WordPress users, visit the Bug Bounty Program page.
WordPress Software Vendors – Sign Up For Free Centralized Management of all Vulnerabilities in Your Software
Wordfence provides a completely free vulnerability management portal for WordPress Software vendors to easily track and manage all vulnerabilities submitted to the Wordfence Bug Bounty Program, and added to the Wordfence Intelligence Vulnerability Database.
This portal streamlines and enhances the repsonsible disclosure process so you can secure your customers faster.
Program Submission Highlights – December 2025
The Wordfence Bug Bounty Program is designed for momentum: rapid triage of critical issues, clear feedback, and fast, fair rewards. Each submission moves through our standardized workflow of validation, vendor coordination, patch verification, and firewall coverage where applicable, so research translates into real-world protection quickly.
Real-Time Protection Impact
Every vulnerability disclosed through this program is a threat you don’t have to face blindly. Our researchers uncover and report vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, and Wordfence Premium, Care and Response users get protection in real-time through our firewall. Free users are protected in 30 days.
Behind the numbers is meaningful impact for site owners. The issues surfaced here inform new firewall rules, strengthen our detection logic, and help vendors ship safer releases. If you’re new to bounty hunting, this is a great place to start: we publish scope clearly, pay promptly, and credit the work that keeps WordPress secure.
Total Submissions
Active Researchers
High Threat
Common & Dangerous
WAF Rules Released
Vulnerability Focus Areas
- High Threat Vulnerabilities: Issues that could result in full site compromise, such as Arbitrary File Uploads or Remote Code Execution. Must be exploitable by unauthenticated or low-level authenticated attackers with software having 25+ active installations.
- Common & Dangerous: Stored Cross-Site Scripting and SQL Injection vulnerabilities exploitable by unauthenticated or low-level authenticated attackers. Software must have 500+ active installations.
Bounty Insights – December 2025
Our research powers real investment back into the community. This section totals bounties and bonuses paid for the month and showcases standout findings. Our philosophy is simple: reward high-quality, responsibly disclosed research that measurably reduces risk for WordPress users.
Total Bounties Awarded
Average Bounty Per Submission
Highest Single Bounty
Top 5 Bounties Awarded
| Vulnerability | Bounty | Install Count |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication Bypass (In Disclosure) | $1,502.00 | 30,000 |
| Download Manager <= 3.3.40 – Unauthenticated Limited Privilege Escalation via updatePassword | $991.00 | 100,000 |
| Advanced Custom Fields: Extended <= 0.9.2.1 – Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via Insert User Form Action | $975.00 | 100,000 |
| Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting (In Disclosure) | $480.00 | 100,000 |
| SureForms <= 2.2.0 – Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting | $480.00 | 400,000 |
Want to earn more? Read the scope carefully, target high-threat classes, and include clear reproduction steps with proof of impact. We pay promptly on validated issues, and bonus multipliers may apply during limited-time promotions and challenges.
WordPress Software Vulnerability Submission Insights – December 2025
This section breaks down how reports map to our program outcomes. What’s in scope, what isn’t, and where the highest security impact typically sits. We highlight the most common in-scope vulnerability classes and the categories that yielded the largest rewards so researchers can focus their efforts where they matter most.
Authentication level and exploit preconditions drive risk and reward through our program. Unauthenticated and low-privilege paths tend to have outsized impact because they scale to more real-world compromise. Use these insights to prioritize your testing strategy and maximize both security value and bounty potential.
Total Number of Vulnerabilities Considered In Scope, Out of Scope, Rejected, or Duplicate
| In Scope | Out of Scope | Rejected | Duplicate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 149 | 329 | 198 | 83 |
Top 10 Most Commonly Submitted In-Scope Vulnerability Types
The most frequently submitted vulnerability types highlight current testing focus areas across the researcher community. These patterns often reflect both ease of discovery and prevalence in the WordPress ecosystem.
| Vulnerability Type | Total Submissions | Total Rewards | Avg. Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWE 79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (‘Cross-site Scripting’) | 60 | $3,288.00 | $54.80 |
| CWE 862: Missing Authorization | 28 | $1,912.00 | $68.29 |
| CWE 639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key | 6 | $549.00 | $91.50 |
| CWE 22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (‘Path Traversal’) | 5 | $466.00 | $93.20 |
| CWE 269: Improper Privilege Management | 4 | $1,191.00 | $297.75 |
| CWE 352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) | 4 | $138.00 | $34.50 |
| CWE 89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command (‘SQL Injection’) | 4 | $717.00 | $179.25 |
| CWE 434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type | 3 | $370.00 | $123.33 |
| CWE 502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data | 3 | $49.00 | $16.33 |
| CWE 80: Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) | 2 | $32.00 | $16.00 |
Top 10 Highest Rewarded In-Scope Vulnerability Types
While some vulnerabilities appear frequently, others command premium rewards. This breakdown shows which vulnerability classes generated the highest total payouts across all submissions in those categories, indicating both severity and exploitability value.
| Vulnerability Type | Total Rewards | Total Submissions | Avg. Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWE 79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (‘Cross-site Scripting’) | $3,288.00 | 60 | $54.80 |
| CWE 862: Missing Authorization | $1,912.00 | 28 | $68.29 |
| CWE 287: Improper Authentication | $1,502.00 | 1 | $1,502.00 |
| CWE 269: Improper Privilege Management | $1,191.00 | 4 | $297.75 |
| CWE 353: Missing Support for Integrity Check | $991.00 | 1 | $991.00 |
| CWE 89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command (‘SQL Injection’) | $717.00 | 4 | $179.25 |
| CWE 639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key | $549.00 | 6 | $91.50 |
| CWE 22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (‘Path Traversal’) | $466.00 | 5 | $93.20 |
| CWE 434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type | $370.00 | 3 | $123.33 |
| CWE 87: Improper Neutralization of Alternate XSS Syntax | $288.00 | 1 | $288.00 |
In-Scope Vulnerability Distribution by Authentication Level
Authentication requirements directly impact real-world exploitability. Unauthenticated and subscriber-level vulnerabilities typically pose greater risk, reflected in both our prioritization and reward structure.
| Authentication Level | Total Vulnerabilities | Avg. Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthenticated | 50 | $180.64 |
| Contributor | 46 | $29.30 |
| Subscriber | 30 | $74.65 |
| Unauthenticated – UI Required | 10 | $53.10 |
| Author | 7 | $11.00 |
| Custom | 1 | $15.00 |
Vulnerability Submission Install Count Spread
Install counts help us gauge blast radius. Higher install bases can move a finding into higher priority and often correlate with stronger payouts, while smaller-but-critical ecosystems still qualify when the exploitability and impact warrant it.
| Install Range | Total Vulnerabilities | Average CVSS | Avg. Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000–49,999 | 71 | 6.90 | $80.04 |
| 100,000–999,999 | 32 | 6.06 | $165.03 |
| 50,000–99,999 | 28 | 5.71 | $69.81 |
| 0–499 | 12 | 9.23 | $26.10 |
| 500–999 | 3 | 7.90 | $37.33 |
| 5,000,000+ | 1 | 6.40 | $288.00 |
Top WordPress Security Researchers – December 2025
Security is a team sport, and this leaderboard celebrates the people raising the bar. We recognize contributors by valid in-scope submissions, overall earnings, and average severity to highlight different paths to excellence.
Top 5 Researchers based on Volume of In-Scope Submissions
Volume leaders demonstrate consistent vulnerability discovery across diverse targets. These researchers excel at systematic testing and maintaining high validation rates.
| Researcher | Total Submissions | Avg. Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Yudha – DJ | 30 | $8.83 |
| shark3y | 15 | $89.00 |
| andrea bocchetti | 14 | $127.36 |
| zer0gh0st | 7 | $49.71 |
| Webbernaut | 6 | $18.33 |
Top 5 Researchers Based on Average CVSS of In-Scope Submissions
Quality over quantity defines these researchers who consistently identify high-severity vulnerabilities. Their average CVSS scores reflect expertise in finding critical security gaps.
| Researcher | Average CVSS | Total Submissions | Avg. Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| vgo0 | 9.80 | 1 | $358.00 |
| Phat RiO – BlueRock | 9.80 | 1 | $1,502.00 |
| kr0d | 8.30 | 5 | $82.40 |
| LionTree | 8.10 | 1 | $200.00 |
| Drew Webber (mcdruid) | 8.05 | 4 | $293.50 |
Top 5 Researchers Based On Total Bounties Earned
Combining volume with severity, these top earners maximized their impact and rewards through strategic vulnerability research and comprehensive reporting.
| Researcher | Total Earned | Total Submissions | Avg. Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| andrea bocchetti | $1,783.00 | 14 | $127.36 |
| Phat RiO – BlueRock | $1,502.00 | 1 | $1,502.00 |
| shark3y | $1,335.00 | 15 | $89.00 |
| Drew Webber (mcdruid) | $1,174.00 | 4 | $293.50 |
| Marcin Dudek (dudekmar) | $767.00 | 3 | $255.67 |
Researchers Promoted to the Next Tier
Congratulations to the following researchers who have unlocked the next tier! Tier promotions reflect sustained performance, precision, and professionalism in disclosure. Advancing unlocks higher caps, faster reviews, and more visibility. If you’re climbing the ranks, focus on high risk vulnerabilities, keep reports crisp, attach working PoCs, and include mitigation notes vendors can ship quickly.
Elite Researcher Tier (1337)
Resourceful Researcher Tier
Current WordPress Bug Bounty Program Promotions
As part of our Bug Bounty Program, we regularly launch special promotions that boost bounty rewards and expand research scope. These initiatives are designed to reinforce our mission: delivering the highest quality vulnerability intelligence while encouraging researchers to focus on the discoveries that have the greatest positive impact on the WordPress ecosystem.
At the same time, we also look for promotions that give researchers opportunities to sharpen their skills, take on new challenges, and continue growing into the best of the best in WordPress security research. We often supplement these with educational material for researchers to learn and apply their skills during these promotions.
Below, you’ll find details on all currently active challenges—including timelines and a quick overview of each promotion.
No promotions currently running.New to promotions? Start by confirming the software and version range are in scope, validate exploitability on a clean test environment, and submit with clear steps, affected code paths, and impact. Promotions are perfect opportunities for both new and seasoned researchers to maximize earnings while driving faster patch adoption. And remember, you can always check what’s in-scope and out-of-scope by using the Wordfence bounty estimator.
Critical WordPress Software Vulnerability Highlights – December 2025
These case studies spotlight high-impact vulnerabilities uncovered through the program, why they matter, and how quickly protection rolled out. We share technical detail to help researchers learn, vendors harden code, and users understand why timely updates aren’t optional.
If you maintain a site, update to the patched versions listed and ensure Wordfence is active so you benefit from new firewall coverage as it ships. If you’re a researcher, use these write-ups to inform your hunt: patterns repeat, and past root causes often reappear in adjacent code.
Attackers Actively Exploiting Critical Vulnerability in Sneeit Framework Plugin
Sneeit Framework <= 8.3 – Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in sneeit_articles_pagination_callback
Tonn
$537.00
The Sneeit Framework plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 8.3 via the sneeit_articles_pagination_callback() function. This is due to the function accepting user input and then passing that through call_user_func(). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server which can be leveraged to inject backdoors or, for example, create new administrative user accounts.
Read the complete vulnerability analysis
100,000 WordPress Sites Affected by Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Advanced Custom Fields: Extended WordPress Plugin
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 0.9.0.5 – 0.9.1.1 – Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in prepare_form
dudekmar
$4,290.00
The Advanced Custom Fields: Extended plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in versions 0.9.0.5 through 0.9.1.1 via the prepare_form() function. This is due to the function accepting user input and then passing that through call_user_func_array(). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code on the server, which can be leveraged to inject backdoors or create new administrative user accounts.
Attackers Actively Exploiting Critical Vulnerability in King Addons for Elementor Plugin
King Addons for Elementor – Free Elements, Widgets, Templates, and Features for Elementor 24.12.92 – 51.1.14 – Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation
Peter Thaleikis
$1,073.00
The King Addons for Elementor – Free Elements, Widgets, Templates, and Features for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions 24.12.92 to 51.1.14 . This is due to the plugin not properly restricting the roles that users can register with. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register with administrator-level user accounts.
Conclusion
WordPress thrives when researchers, vendors, hosts, and site owners pull in the same direction. By funding high-quality research, coordinating responsible disclosure, and shipping firewall rules at scale, Wordfence turns findings into protection for millions of sites.
If you’re a researcher, join the program and submit your next report. If you’re a site owner, update early and often, and run Wordfence to stay ahead of emerging threats. If you’re a vendor, sign up for the vulnerability management portal to receive real-time notifications when new vulnerabilities are reported in your software. Together, we make the ecosystem safer every month.
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