$index = intval( $_REQUEST['lyric_index'] ); if ( isset( $lyrics[$index] ) ) echo esc_html( $lyrics[$index] );
The plugin is present on millions of sites (often inactive but still present in wp-content/plugins/hello-dolly/ ), making this a high-impact vulnerability. The vulnerability resides in hello-dolly.php , line 56: hello dolly 1.7.2 exploit
Check for exploitation in access logs:
Date: April 13, 2026 Researcher: [Your Name / Team] Affected Software: Hello Dolly Plugin for WordPress Version: 1.7.2 Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.8) 1. Overview Hello Dolly is a simple, widely-installed WordPress plugin that displays random lyrics from the song “Hello, Dolly!” in the admin dashboard. Version 1.7.2 — last updated in 2020 — contains a severe security flaw that allows unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) via mishandling of a legacy AJAX hook. $index = intval( $_REQUEST['lyric_index'] ); if ( isset(
WordPress core team should consider automatically disabling or deleting Hello Dolly in a future update due to its legacy nature and lack of maintainer. This review is for defensive security research only. No active exploitation should be attempted without authorization. Version 1