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CVE-2026-18072 – Authentication Bypass via Hardcoded Backdoor – Advanced Responsive Video Embedder (

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Summary

CVE-2026-18072 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) authentication bypass vulnerability caused by a hardcoded backdoor (CWE-506, Embedded Malicious Code) in the Advanced Responsive Video Embedder (ARVE) for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick WordPress plugin, version 10.8.7. An unauthenticated, remote attacker can supply a known token to authenticate as any existing administrator account, resulting in full compromise of the affected WordPress site.

Technical details

  • Root cause: The plugin ships with malicious code embedded in the _arve_uc_init() function that authenticates requests against a hardcoded SHA-256 hash present in the plugin source. This static hash effectively acts as a set of universal credentials that is publicly readable in the distributed source code.
  • Trigger conditions: _arve_uc_init() is registered on WordPress’s init hook at priority 1, so it executes on every request before normal authentication checks run. The function reads an attacker-supplied token from the _wplogin (or _wpm) request parameter and grants access if it matches the embedded hash — with no nonce verification, capability check, or password validation.
  • Attack vector: Network-based and fully unauthenticated. No valid credentials or user interaction are required; an attacker simply sends a crafted request carrying the known token.
  • Impact: The attacker is authenticated as an arbitrarily selected existing administrator account, gaining full administrative control over the WordPress site (complete loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability).

Affected software

  • Advanced Responsive Video Embedder (ARVE) for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick — version 10.8.7.

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Because version 10.8.7 contains an intentionally embedded backdoor (CWE-506), remove or deactivate the affected plugin immediately and update to a clean, backdoor-free release of the plugin as soon as one is confirmed by the vendor. Do not run version 10.8.7 in production under any circumstances.
  • If no clean release is available: Uninstall the plugin entirely. As network-level containment, block requests containing the _wplogin and _wpm parameters at the WAF or reverse proxy, and restrict access to the WordPress site until remediation is complete.
  • Incident response: Given this is an active backdoor, treat any site that ran 10.8.7 as potentially compromised. Audit for rogue administrator accounts, unexpected users, and unauthorized content or configuration changes; rotate all administrator credentials, secret keys, and salts; and review server and application logs for exploitation attempts referencing _wplogin/_wpm.

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