WordPress 7.1.2 was released on September 22, 2026. It is a security release that fixes one critical severity vulnerability, and the recommendation is to update your sites immediately.
The security fix
According to the official announcement, an unauthenticated attacker could, under certain conditions, make page template resolution include a chosen readable local PHP file outside the active theme directories. If the right conditions in both the server environment and the active theme are met, this can lead to remote code execution.
The fix was backported to all branches eligible for security fixes, back to 4.7 at the time of release. Only the most recent version of WordPress is actively supported.
How to update
Sites that support automatic background updates receive it on their own. You can also go to Dashboard, then Updates, and click Update Now.
Custom template filters and the WordPress 7.1.2 patch
Critical and unauthenticated is the combination that matters most. No login is needed, so every public site running an affected version should be updated as soon as possible, whether or not you think the conditions apply to your theme.
Because the issue involves how templates are resolved, we pay extra attention to custom themes and plugins that filter template loading. We test them on staging after the update to confirm every template still loads as expected.
Unauthenticated template resolution vulnerability. Because no login is needed, we do not wait to find out whether a site's server and theme meet the conditions: every site we manage gets 7.1.2 as quickly as we can roll it out. We then confirm the version on each site directly, since automatic updates can be blocked by file permissions or settings in code. For custom themes, we also review how templates are loaded and make sure they only come from the theme's own folders.
Want WordPress 7.1.2 and every release after it handled for you? Our support and maintenance plans cover tested core, theme and plugin updates, uptime monitoring and help when something breaks. Questions about your site? Contact us and we will take a look.
