BleepingComputer.com: Wordpress Worm Is Worrisome

A new worm is circulating that inserts itself into older versions of the popular Wordpress blogging platform.

According to the official Wordpress Blog, the worm "registers a user, uses a security bug (fixed earlier in the year) to allow evaluated code to be executed through the permalink structure, makes itself an admin, then uses JavaScript to hide itself when you look at users page, attempts to clean up after itself, then goes quiet so you never notice while it inserts hidden spam and malware into your old posts."

Luckily (or not) the worm contains an error in its "cleanup" section and actually breaks every single link in the affected blog. The latest version of Wordpress is immune to the attack and all users are strenuously urged to update.

Lorelle on Wordpress mentions steps users can take to see whether their blog has been hacked as well as links to help mitigate the effect if they have.

One notable victim so far is Robert Scoble, a noted tech blogger who lost two months' worth of blog entries.

Users who use Wordpress' hosted blog service are already protected by the latest version. Users who host their own blogs should update immediately.