WordPress 3.6.1 Maintenance and Security Release

After nearly 7 million downloads of WordPress 3.6, we are pleased to announce the availability of version 3.6.1. This maintenance release fixes 13 bugs in version 3.6, which was a very smooth release.

WordPress 3.6.1 is also a security release for all previous WordPress versions and we strongly encourage you to update your sites immediately. It addresses three issues fixed by the WordPress security team:

• Block unsafe PHP unserialization that could occur in limited situations and setups, which can lead to remote code execution. Reported by Tom Van Goethem.
• Prevent a user with an Author role, using a specially crafted request, from being able to create a post “written by” another user. Reported by Anakorn Kyavatanakij.
• Fix insufficient input validation that could result in redirecting or leading a user to another website. Reported by Dave Cummo, a Northrup Grumman subcontractor for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, we’ve adjusted security restrictions around file uploads to mitigate the potential for cross-site scripting.

We appreciated responsible disclosure of these issues directly to our security team. For more information on the changes, see the release notes or consult the list of changes.

Download WordPress 3.6.1 or update now from the Dashboard → Updates menu in your site’s admin area.