A high-severity vulnerability in Joomla's Content Editor (JCE) extension is actively being exploited by threat actors. Impacting sites that use Joomla, this flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code. Immediate action is essential to protect your web applications.
What happened
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently added a critical flaw in Widget Factory's Joomla Content Editor (JCE) to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (CVE-2026-48907). Rated a CVSS 10.0, the issue relates to improper access control. This allows malicious actors to execute PHP code on affected servers, potentially leading to a complete system takeover. The urgency stems from the vulnerability being actively exploited in the wild.
Why it matters for website owners
If your Joomla site uses the JCE extension, hackers might execute unauthorized PHP code. This could grant them full control over your web server.
What to check on your site
- Verify if Joomla's JCE extension you use is vulnerable. Use the Joomla Stack Checker to do so.
- Update Joomla JCE to the latest patched version immediately if it's flagged as vulnerable.
- Regularly scan for vulnerabilities using tools like Joomla Stack Checker to preemptively catch future issues.
Related reading
Sources
- The Hacker News, 2026-06-17