# CVE-2026-39761: Meta Box AIO privilege escalation in unauthenticated access

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-39761-unauthenticated-privilege-escalation-in-meta-box-aio-3-7-1  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-06. Updated: 2026-10-06  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-39761 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.8 · Published 2026-10-06

Meta Box AIO is a WordPress plugin that manages custom fields and metadata for content creation. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit a privilege escalation vulnerability to gain administrator access and take complete control of affected WordPress sites. This vulnerability has a critical severity rating and could enable site defacement, data theft, or deployment of malware.

Vendors: [Meta](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/meta).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-39761 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-39761 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-39761?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 6 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Meta Box AIO <= 3.7.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-39761?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Patchstack has issued a mitigation rule to block attack attempts until an official patch is available. Update the plugin immediately when a patched version becomes available, or contact your hosting provider or web developer for assistance. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-39761 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-39761?** Check whether you run Meta Box AIO at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix


Patchstack has issued a mitigation rule to block attack attempts until an official patch is available. Update the plugin immediately when a patched version becomes available, or contact your hosting provider or web developer for assistance.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is an unauthenticated privilege escalation flaw in Meta Box AIO versions 3.7.1 and earlier that allows attackers to escalate privileges to administrator level without requiring prior authentication. The attack vector is network-based with no user interaction required. An attacker exploiting this issue gains full administrative control over the WordPress installation, including access to sensitive data, user accounts, and site configuration.

## Affected products

- Meta Box AIO <= 3.7.1

## Timeline

- 2026-10-05: disclosed
- 2026-10-06: advisory

## References

- [https://wordpress.org/plugins](https://wordpress.org/plugins)
- [https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/meta-box-aio/vulnerability/wordpress-meta-box-aio-plugin-3-7-1-privilege-escalation-vulnerability?_s_id=cve](https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/meta-box-aio/vulnerability/wordpress-meta-box-aio-plugin-3-7-1-privilege-escalation-vulnerability?_s_id=cve)