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Hi there,

Hope you’re doing great. In this article, I’m sharing a real-world vulnerability I discovered that relates to an often-overlooked WordPress feature — xmlrpc.php. While it seems harmless at first glance, when left exposed, it opens the door for brute-force attacks and even denial-of-service (DoS) exploitation.

xmlrpc.php is a legacy feature in WordPress that allows remote access and interaction with the site through API-based requests. It was originally designed to help third-party apps or blogging platforms publish content or perform actions on WordPress.

However, if this feature is left enabled without proper restrictions, attackers can misuse it in several ways. Two major risks include:

1. Brute-force attacks: Attackers can repeatedly attempt username-password combinations through xmlrpc.php, bypassing some security plugins or login attempt limits.
2. Denial-of-Service (DoS): This same endpoint can be used to amplify requests using a method called pingback, overwhelming the server and potentially knocking the site offline.