WordPress 7.1.3, released October 6, 2026, includes seven security fixes and four bug fixes. WordPress.org recommends updating immediately. Its announcement does not identify any of the seven fixes as critical: the critical-severity wording in WordPress.org’s release listing refers to the earlier 7.1.2 release, dated September 22, 2026.
What does WordPress 7.1.3 fix?
The official WordPress 7.1.3 announcement groups the security changes into seven issue categories. It provides summaries rather than full technical advisories, so the categories below should not be read as a complete account of exploit conditions or affected versions.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in Comments administration: the issue involved pending comments. Thomas Chauchefoin of Trail of Bits reported it.
- Denial of service in
WP_Http::make_absolute_url(): reported by Anthropic. - Second-order SQL injection in WXR export: reported by Anthropic.
- Author-role permissions weakness: users with the Author role could make posts sticky. Reported by Anthropic.
- Disclosure of comments on private and unpublished posts: an unauthenticated disclosure issue reported by Ananda Dhakal of Patchstack.
- XSS in Imgur embeds: reported by Zhengyu Liu, Jingcheng Yang, and Gavin Zhong.
- Forgeable parameters passed to the
{status}_{type}hook: the issue could lead to an action-name collision. Reported by Alex Concha of the WordPress security team.
The release announcement does not provide CVE identifiers, issue-by-issue severity scores, affected-version ranges, detailed exploit prerequisites, or information on active exploitation. Those details should not be inferred from the short summaries.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchDoes 7.1.3 fix the critical WordPress flaw?
The available official release information distinguishes the two versions. The WordPress release listing uses critical-severity language for a security fix in WordPress 7.1.2, released September 22, 2026. The October 6 announcement for 7.1.3 reports seven security fixes but does not call any of them critical. So the title’s “1 critical flaw” wording should not be attributed to 7.1.3 based on these release notes.
#1 Best Overall
Should you update to WordPress 7.1.3 now?
Yes, if your site is on a branch for which 7.1.3 is the applicable update. WordPress.org says: “Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately.” The release includes fixes for multiple security issue categories, and the announcement gives no reason to delay a supported update.
How to update WordPress
- From the dashboard: sign in to WordPress, open Dashboard → Updates, then choose Update Now.
- By download: download WordPress 7.1.3 from WordPress.org and follow the update process appropriate to your installation.
- Automatic background update: allow the automatic update to run if this route is supported and enabled for your site.
WordPress.org lists these as update routes in its release announcement. If you manage a site through a hosting or maintenance provider, check that provider’s update workflow rather than assuming a platform-specific mitigation or process applies to every host.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What about older WordPress branches?
WordPress.org said on October 6, 2026, that security fixes were being backported where needed to branches eligible for security fixes, then described as extending through 4.7. It also said the backports were in progress and would ship as ready. That is not a guarantee that every older installation already has a corresponding update: check the release and update information for the branch your site runs.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The announcement further states that only the most recent WordPress version is actively supported. The stated backport boundary and active-support status are distinct: an eligible older branch may receive a security backport without becoming the actively supported version.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
