● Critical · CVSS 9

How to Fix CVE-2026-27984: Code injection in Widget Options

Q: What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-27984?

9 (Critical). Vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`.

Q: Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-27984?

The vendor advisory is at [https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/widget-options/vulnerability/wordpress-widget-options-plugin-4-1-3-remote-code-execution-rce-vulnerability?_s_id=cve](https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/widget-options/vulnerability/wordpress-widget-options-plugin-4-1-3-remote-code-execution-rce-vulnerability?_s_id=cve). The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-27984.

By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.

CVE-2026-27984 is a code injection in Marketing Fire Widget Options. The fix is to upgrade to Widget Options 4.2.0.

⚡ At a glance


Severity	9 (Critical)
Actively exploited?	No public listing in CISA KEV
Affected	Widget Options 0 to <=4.1.3
Fixed in	Widget Options 4.2.0
Type (CWE)	CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')

What is CVE-2026-27984?

Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') vulnerability in Marketing Fire Widget Options widget-options allows Code Injection.This issue affects Widget Options: from n/a through <= 4.1.3. The CVSS base score is 9 (Critical), which puts this in the upper risk band and warrants a fast patch cycle. The official advisory is at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/widget-options/vulnerability/wordpress-widget-options-plugin-4-1-3-remote-code-execution-rce-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.

Am I affected?

Check the version of Widget Options you are running and compare it against the Affected row above (Widget Options 0 to <=4.1.3). If your build sits inside the affected range, you must patch.

Run the version check that fits your platform:


# Linux package check
dpkg -s widget-options 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q widget-options 2>/dev/null
command -v widget-options >/dev/null && widget-options --version 2>/dev/null


# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Package -Name "*Widget Options*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Version
winget list --name "Widget Options" 2>$null

How to fix CVE-2026-27984

Upgrade Widget Options to a patched build: Widget Options 4.2.0. The vendor advisory is the source of truth for the exact fixed version.

Ubuntu / Debian


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade widget-options
dpkg -s widget-options | grep -i ^Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux


sudo dnf upgrade --refresh widget-options -y
# or for older releases:
sudo yum update widget-options -y
rpm -q widget-options

SUSE / openSUSE


sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update widget-options
rpm -q widget-options

Node.js / npm


# Update the affected package in your project
npm install Widget Options@latest
npm ls Widget Options
npm audit fix

Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)


# Fix script for CVE-2026-27984 affecting Widget Options
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath  = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-27984-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append

try {
    Write-Host "[1/4] Detect installed version"
    $pkg = Get-Package -Name "*Widget Options*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($pkg) { $pkg | Format-Table Name, Version }
    else { Write-Host "Not detected via Get-Package; try winget list" }

    Write-Host "[2/4] Backup configuration"
    $backup = "C:\Backup\widget-options-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
    Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\Widget Options" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "[3/4] Apply the upgrade to Widget Options 4.2.0"
    winget upgrade --name "Widget Options" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        # Fallback: pull latest via OS update channel
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
        Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
    }

    Write-Host "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
    winget list --name "Widget Options"
    Write-Host "Patch applied. Reboot if prompted."
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
    exit 1
} finally {
    Stop-Transcript
}

Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)


#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-27984 affecting Widget Options
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-27984-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1

echo "[1/4] Detect installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s widget-options 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version || echo "widget-options not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q widget-options || echo "widget-options not installed via rpm"
fi

echo "[2/4] Backup configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-27984-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/widget-options /etc/widget-options.d /etc/widget-options.conf; do
    [ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done

echo "[3/4] Apply the upgrade (target: Widget Options 4.2.0)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
    apt-get update
    apt-get install --only-upgrade -y widget-options
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
    dnf upgrade --refresh -y widget-options
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
    yum update -y widget-options
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
    zypper --non-interactive update widget-options
fi

echo "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s widget-options 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q widget-options
fi
echo "Done. Restart any service that loaded the old library."

If you can't patch immediately

Apply at least one of the following inline controls until you can deploy the patched build. None replace the upgrade.

Restrict exposure with nftables (Linux)


# Allow only trusted CIDR to reach the affected service ports
sudo nft add table inet filter 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add chain inet filter input { type filter hook input priority 0 ; }' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add rule inet filter input tcp dport {80, 443} ip saddr != 10.0.0.0/8 drop'
sudo nft list ruleset

Block at the host firewall (Windows)


New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-27984" -Direction Inbound -Action Block -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443 -RemoteAddress Any -Enabled True
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-27984"

Disable the affected service (Linux)


sudo systemctl stop widget-options 2>/dev/null || true
sudo systemctl disable widget-options 2>/dev/null || true

If the vendor advisory lists an official workaround, prefer that wording verbatim. If no workaround is published, the only safe remediation is the patch.

How to verify the fix worked

After upgrading, confirm the installed version matches the patched build and that no old library is still loaded by a long-running process.


# Linux
dpkg -s widget-options 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q widget-options 2>/dev/null || true
# Pid map check for old library handles
sudo lsof +c0 2>/dev/null | grep -i "DEL.*lib" || true


# Windows
Get-Package -Name "*Widget Options*" | Select-Object Name, Version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Expected: the reported version is at or above Widget Options 4.2.0. Restart the affected service (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, or restart the Windows service) so it loads the patched binary.

Frequently asked questions

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Is CVE-2026-27984 actively exploited?

There is no public confirmation of exploitation in the wild listed in CISA KEV at the time of this writing. Patch anyway. Public exploits commonly follow disclosure within weeks.

Do I need to reboot after patching CVE-2026-27984?

For kernel and OS-level updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough on Linux, and restarting the Windows service or app on Windows. Any process that loaded the old library keeps using it until restarted.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-27984?

9 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-27984?

The vendor advisory is at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/widget-options/vulnerability/wordpress-widget-options-plugin-4-1-3-remote-code-execution-rce-vulnerability?_s_id=cve. The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-27984.

References

Official vendor advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/widget-options/vulnerability/wordpress-widget-options-plugin-4-1-3-remote-code-execution-rce-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-27984
CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*