> Quarterly WordPress Threat Intelligence Report – Q1 2026

As the leader in WordPress security, Wordfence provides unparalleled security coverage that fully encompasses protection, active monitoring, detection, and response all built around our threat intelligence, demonstrating a strong commitment to security. Our mission is to ensure comprehensive defense-in-depth for every layer of a WordPress website’s security. It’s important to understand that a complete security solution requires both protection and detection; while protection is crucial for preventing initial compromises, detection is equally vital for a wholesome WordPress site security strategy. There’s a Wordfence Option for Every Site Owner Whether you run a personal blog or manage hundreds of client websites, Wordfence has a plan tailored to your needs: Wordfence Free – Industry-leading Web Application Firewall (WAF) blocking 95% of known threats out of the box, malware scanning, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), and more. 30-day delay on malware signatures and new firewall rules. Wordfence Premium – Real-time firewall and malware signature updates, plus powerful tools like an audit log for deeper insight and monitoring. Wordfence Care – Around-the-clock monitoring by our team, hands-on remediation if something goes wrong, and priority support for true peace of mind. Wordfence Response – All the benefits of Wordfence Premium and Care with one hour response times for immediate remediation of security breaches. Compare Plans This regular report highlights trends and changes in the WordPress security landscape, empowering you as a site owner to proactively protect your website against current vulnerabilities and threats, and to better understand the protections Wordfence provides through it’s robust threat intelligence. Table of Contents Threat Intelligence Key Highlights Q1 2026 Wordfence Vulnerability Summary for Q1 2026 Wordfence Threat Summary for Q1 2026 Wordfence Malware Report for Q1 2026 Report Archives for Q1 2026 Key Takeaways For Site Owners Threat Intelligence Key Highlights Q1 2026 As the industry leader in WordPress security we have access to attack telemetry and vulnerability intelligence that no other security provider can compare to. We know exactly what vulnerabilities will become a target for threats, what the biggest threats to WordPress are, and how to prioritize remediation and protection against WordPress. The following presents some key highlights of WordPress threats and vulnerabilities in Q1 2026. Total Vulnerabilities Published 2,738 +23.7% from previous quarter High Threat Vulnerabilities 158 +20.6% from previous quarter Common & Dangerous Vulnerabilities 198 +98.0% from previous quarter WAF Attacks Blocked 9.1B -0.3% from previous quarter Brute Force Attacks Blocked 16.0B +15.3% from previous quarter Sites Infected 474K +1.4% from previous quarter What this means for site owners: Keep plugins and themes updated regularly, enable 2FA, run regular security scans, follow strong password security, and rely on a WAF like Wordfence for protection before vulnerabilities are patched and continuous monitoring. Wordfence Vulnerability Intelligence Highlights for Q1 2026 This section breaks down the vulnerabilities disclosed in Q1 2026 along with highlighting any trends or changes from the previous quarter. The Wordfence Bug Bounty Program’s primary mission is to attract the highest quality vulnerability research in the WordPress space based on high impact and high severity vulnerabilities that are the most likely to be exploited. Due to this, you can rest assured knowing that you have the best protection available for vulnerabilities that pose the most significant risk to your site before they are even disclosed to the vendor. Did you know? Wordfence provides the most comprehensive vulnerability intelligence for WordPress, with over 29,000 known vulnerabilities cataloged in our database. Our team adds dozens to hundreds of new vulnerabilities every week, ensuring the Wordfence plugin’s vulnerability scanner, and our free Vulnerability Intelligence API, alert you the moment a new vulnerability is detected. Total Vulnerabilities Published 2,738 +23.7% from previous quarter Total WAF Rules Released 22 +10.0% from previous quarter Total Vulnerabilities Published In Q1, there were 2,738 vulnerabilities added to the Wordfence Intelligence vulnerability database. Wordfence was responsible for remediating and disclosing 37.2% of the total. The following chart highlights the trend in new vulnerabilities disclosed over this period. Total High Threat Vulnerabilities Published In Q1, there were 158 high threat vulnerabilities added to the Wordfence Intelligence vulnerability database. These vulnerabilities pose the most significant threat to WordPress websites as attackers are very likely to target them in the real-world, and they can generally lead to full site compromise with minimal requirements. Often generic, or non-WordPress specific firewalls do not provide adequate protection against these vulnerabilities. Wordfence was the source of disclosure for 46.8% of those vulnerabilities, highlighting how the Wordfence firewall can provide you with the fastest protection for WordPress vulnerabilities that pose the most significant risk to your WordPress site. Total Common and Dangerous Vulnerabilities Published In Q1, there were 198 common and dangerous vulnerabilities added to the Wordfence Intelligence vulnerability database. Wordfence was responsible for remediating and disclosing 44.4% of these common and dangerous vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are some of the most commonly found in WordPress plugins and themes, but are still prime targets for attackers who are looking for low hanging fruit to exploit. Patch Status of Reported Vulnerabilities At the end of Q1, there were 747 vulnerabilities that remained unpatched. This highlights the importance of utilizing a security scanner like Wordfence that will alert you when an unpatched vulnerability is present on your site so you can take remedial action, like removing the software, immediately. Install Count Distribution of Affected Software The following highlights the average distribution of install counts for software affected by vulnerabilities reported in this quarter. Authentication Level To Exploit Distribution Most vulnerabilities disclosed in Q1 required unauthenticated access to exploit. This is the same as from Q4 2025 where was required to exploit for the majority of vulnerabilities published. Affected Software Type Distribution (Plugins/Themes/Core) As usual, the majority of the vulnerabilities disclosed in Q1 were plugin related vulnerabilities. Top 10 Vulnerability Classes Published The following highlights the most commonly published vulnerabilities in Q1 2026. Vulnerability Type Total Vulns CWE 862: Missing Authorization 753 CWE 79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (‘Cross-site Scripting’) 736 CWE 98: Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program (‘PHP Remote File Inclusion’) 349 CWE 89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command (‘SQL Injection’) 147 CWE 352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) 129 CWE 502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data 106 CWE 200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor 84 CWE 639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key 77 CWE 22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (‘Path Traversal’) 58 CWE 918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) 52 Vendors Registered for the Vulnerability Management Portal This quarter, we had 151 vendors sign up to manage their WordPress software’s security through the Vulnerability Management Portal (-24.9% from previous quarter). This covers 554 distinct plugins and themes (-60.2% from previous quarter). Vendors who register for the Wordfence Vulnerability Management Portal demonstrate a strong commitment to WordPress security as they are notified in real-time when a new vulnerability has been discovered or reported in their software. If you’re a WordPress vendor and you’d like to sign up for real-time vulnerability alerts and centralized vulnerability management, get started here. Wordfence Threat Intelligence Summary for Q1 2026 This section highlights the past quarter’s trend among vulnerabilities attackers are targeting and password attacks they are initiating. Threat intelligence is at the heart of Wordfence’s industry-leading security solutions. As the largest security provider for WordPress, we collect and analyze attack telemetry from millions of sites worldwide. This unparalleled visibility gives us real-time insight into what attackers are targeting and when, empowering us to deliver the fastest and most effective protection for WordPress. Web Application Firewall (WAF) Attack Data Highlights Did you know? Wordfence leverages attack telemetry from over 5 million protected websites to continuously strengthen the security features of the Wordfence plugin. Sites running Wordfence Premium, Care, or Response automatically block IP addresses actively engaged in malicious activity across WordPress, even when those attacks don’t target a known vulnerability, keeping your site safe from the latest and emerging threats. WAF Rule Requests Blocked/Logged 9.1B -0.3% from previous quarter Blocked From IP Threat Feed 3.4B +42.5% from previous quarter Total WAF Rules Released 22 +10.0% from previous quarter Unique IPs in WAF Attacks 16.9M +35.3% from previous quarter Unique IPs From Blocklist 222K +19.8% from previous quarter Unique User Agents 20.0M -8.1% from previous quarter Total Requests Blocked and Logged by the Wordfence Firewall Over Q1 The following chart highlights how many exploit and probing requests the Wordfence Firewall has blocked over the course of Q1. Top 10 User Agents Engaged in Exploiting Vulnerabilities The following chart highlights the top 10 user agents that have been used in exploit and enumeration attempts across the network of sites we protect. Total Requests User Agents 882,234,754 Mozlila/5.0 (Linux; Android 7.0; SM-G892A Bulid/NRD90M; wv) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Chrome/60.0.3112.107 Moblie Safari/537.36 828,547,430 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/60.0.3112.113 Safari/537.36 456,134,596 Mozlila/5.0 (Linux; Android 7.0; SM-G892A Bulid/NRD90M; wv) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Chrome/60.0.3112.107 Moblie Safari/537.36 333,417,068 curl/8.7.1 299,508,291 curl/8.7.1 276,445,415 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/120.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 213,287,827 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/120.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 169,342,546 Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/123.0.6312.86 Safari/537.36 BitSightBot/1.0 83,261,420 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 81,694,416 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/126.0.0.0 Safari/537.36   Top 10 Unique Vulnerabilities Targeted by Attackers The following section highlights the top 10 unique vulnerabilities being targeted by attackers. Vulnerability Total Blocked Requests SureTriggers <= 1.0.78 – Authorization Bypass due to Missing Empty Value Check to Unauthenticated Administrative User Creation 10,236,067 WooCommerce Payments 4.8.0 – 5.6.1 Authentication Bypass and Privilege Escalation 6,729,865 Rank Math SEO <= 1.0.40.2 – Privilege Escalation via Unprotected REST API Endpoint 6,211,916 Gwolle Guestbook <= 1.5.3 – Remote File Inclusion 5,809,543 WP Freeio <= 1.2.21 – Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation 4,364,204 Discount Rules for WooCommerce <= 2.0.2 – Missing Authorization 4,140,826 FULL – Customer <= 2.2.3 – Authenticated(Subscriber+) Improper Authorization to Arbitrary Plugin Installation 3,649,846 Alone Theme <= 7.8.3 – Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload via Plugin Installation 3,201,677 HT Mega – Absolute Addons for Elementor <= 2.2.0 – Missing Authorization to Privilege Escalation 3,193,007 Hunk Companion <= 1.8.4 – Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Arbitrary Plugin Installation/Activation 2,596,259   Top 10 Attacking Countries The following section highlights the top 10 countries engaged in initiating attacks against WordPress websites. Top 10 Attacking IP Addresses The following are the top 10 IP Addresses engaged in targeting WordPress website vulnerabilities. IP Address Total Requests 185.177.72.49 71,304,777 185.177.72.22 71,162,291 185.177.72.51 70,526,116 185.177.72.13 70,515,278 185.177.72.56 70,477,684 185.177.72.38 70,331,546 185.177.72.30 69,897,007 185.177.72.52 69,837,067 185.177.72.23 68,446,916 64.188.91.57 43,313,511   Top 5 “Generic” Vulnerability Types Targeted By Attackers This section highlights the most attacked common vulnerability types. Password Attacks Data Highlights Did you know? Wordfence includes a robust suite of password protection features, all available in the free version of the plugin. Features like Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), blocking logins using known compromised passwords, and preventing brute-force login attempts help safeguard your WordPress users and administrators from unauthorized access. Brute Force Attacks Blocked 16.0B +15.3% from previous quarter Unique IPs in Brute Force 68.1M +66.4% from previous quarter Avg Requests Per IP 234 -30.8% from previous quarter Total Password Attacks Blocked by the Wordfence Firewall Over Q1 The following chart highlights how many password attacks the Wordfence Firewall has blocked over the course of Q1. Top 10 Countries with the Most Distinctly Unique IP Addresses Engaged in Password Attacks The following chart highlights countries with the most unique IP addresses originating from them engaged in password attacks. Top 10 Countries with the Highest Volume of Password Attacks Blocked While the above chart highlights countries with the most unique IP Addresses targeting them. The following chart highlights countries with the most password attack activity based on number of requests, rather than distinctly unique IP Addresses. Password Attacks Blocked by Type This section highlights what password attack techniques are the most common. Wordfence Malware Intelligence Report for Q1 2026 This section highlights common trends and patterns in malware attack data across the sites Wordfence protects. No security solution would be complete without malware detection or scanning. It’s a critical element to website security that if your site gets hacked, it gets detected so that you can take swift remedial action to protect your business and brand reputation. Did you know? Wordfence’s Malware Signatures are used to provide protection on your site. They are not just used for detecting a compromise, they are also used for blocking uploads of malicious files that match our malware signatures through the Wordfence Firewall. Malware Attack Data Highlights Unique Malware Files 27.4M +100% from previous quarter Malware Signatures Released 89 +100% from previous quarter Sites with Malware 474K +100% from previous quarter Avg Infected Files Per Site 51.8 -5.8% from previous quarter Avg Malware Variations Per Site 2.4 -7.7% from previous quarter Number of Distinct Sites With Malware Detected Over Q1 The following chart highlights the average amount of sites with at least once piece of malware detected over the course of Q1. Malware Detected by File Type The following chart highlights the most commonly detected malware based on file type. PHP files are often associated with webshells, backdoors, infostealers, and skimmers while files like JavaScript and HTML are often associated with spam. Malware Detected Based on Uploaded Location The following chart highlights where malware is most commonly uploaded. Report Archives for Q1 2026 Access the complete collection of detailed vulnerability and bug bounty reports published during Q1 2026. These archives provide comprehensive documentation of all security issues identified and addressed throughout the quarter. Weekly Vulnerability Report Archive In case you missed any of the weekly vulnerability reports from Q1, you can find the complete list of them here: Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (December 15, 2025 to January 4, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/01/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-december-15-2025-to-january-4-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (January 5, 2026 to January 11, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/01/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-january-5-2026-to-january-11-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (January 12, 2026 to January 18, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/01/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-january-12-2026-to-january-18-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (January 19, 2026 to January 25, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/01/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-january-19-2026-to-january-25-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (January 26, 2026 to February 1, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/02/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-january-26-2026-to-february-1-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (February 2, 2026 to February 8, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/02/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-february-2-2026-to-february-8-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (February 9, 2026 to February 15, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/02/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-february-9-2026-to-february-15-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (February 16, 2026 to February 22, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/02/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-february-16-2026-to-february-22-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (February 23, 2026 to March 1, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/03/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-february-23-2026-to-march-1-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (March 2, 2026 to March 8, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/03/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-march-2-2026-to-march-8-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (March 9, 2026 to March 15, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/03/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-march-9-2026-to-march-15-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (March 16, 2026 to March 22, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/03/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-march-16-2026-to-march-22-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (March 23, 2026 to March 29, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/04/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-march-23-2026-to-march-29-2026/ Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (March 30, 2026 to April 5, 2026): https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/04/wordfence-intelligence-weekly-wordpress-vulnerability-report-march-30-2026-to-april-5-2026/ Monthly Bug Bounty Report Archive If you missed any of the monthly Bug Bounty Program Reports from Q1, you can find those all here: January: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/02/wordfence-bug-bounty-program-monthly-report-january-2026/ February: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/03/wordfence-bug-bounty-program-monthly-report-february-2026/ March: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2026/05/wordfence-bug-bounty-program-monthly-report-march-2026/ Conclusion: Key Takeaways For Site Owners When it comes to securing your WordPress site, a defense-in-depth strategy is essential. No single solution can stop every attack, but by layering protection, detection, and active monitoring, you dramatically reduce your risk and increase your ability to respond quickly when threats emerge. Protection The first line of defense is preventing attacks from succeeding in the first place. A strong firewall, timely vulnerability patches, and hardened configurations help block malicious traffic before it ever reaches your site. By leveraging Wordfence’s threat intelligence, you’re protected against the latest exploits that attackers are actively using in the wild. This proactive protection ensures your site is guarded not just against known threats, but against emerging attack patterns. Detection Even the best defenses can be tested, which is why detection is critical. Comprehensive scanning helps identify vulnerabilities, malware, or suspicious changes on your site that could signal an attempted compromise. With Wordfence’s real-time scanning powered by global attack data, you gain visibility into threats that may have slipped past other layers of defense, allowing you to act before they cause serious damage. Active Monitoring Continuous monitoring serves as your early warning system. Real-time alerts about critical events, login attempts, and file changes help you stay ahead of threats. Wordfence’s comprehensive monitoring doesn’t just tell you something happened, it provides the context and intelligence you need to understand the severity and respond appropriately. This constant vigilance means you’re never flying blind when it comes to your site’s security posture. Security isn’t a “set it and forget it” task. Active monitoring ensures your site is continuously observed for suspicious behavior, login attempts, and traffic anomalies. Attackers often probe sites for weaknesses over time; having real-time monitoring means you’ll know immediately if your site is being targeted. Wordfence’s monitoring tools provide alerts and insights so you can take swift action, whether that’s blocking an attacker, tightening access, or responding to a detected vulnerability. By combining protection, detection, and monitoring, you create a strong defense-in-depth strategy for your WordPress site. Wordfence brings all three layers together in one solution, making it simple to secure your site and stay ahead of attackers. Install Wordfence today and put industry-leading security to work for you. The post Quarterly WordPress Threat Intelligence Report – Q1 2026 appeared first on Wordfence.