# CVE-2026-13492: UsersWP <= 1.2.65 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary File Deletion via File Upload Field

> Authenticated attackers can delete arbitrary files on the server via path traversal in the UsersWP WordPress plugin, potentially causing denial of service or data loss.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 9 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 9 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j69f-3cmp-jrjj

## What is CVE-2026-13492?

CVE-2026-13492 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in stiofansisland UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP, published on 9 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The UsersWP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Deletion in versions up to, and including, 1.2.65. This is due to insufficient validation of file-field values in the UsersWP_Validation::validate_fields() function (which falls through to sanitize_text_field() for fields of type 'file', leaving directory-traversal sequences intact) combined with the UsersWP_Forms::upload_file_remove() AJAX handler building the deletion target from the uploads basedir concatenated with the attacker-controlled metadata value without any realpath canonicalization or uploads-directory boundary check before calling unlink(). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the affected site's server, including wp-config.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-13492?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-13492?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-13492 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-13492 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-13492 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-13492 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-13492 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in stiofansisland UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP, published on 9 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-13492 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: stiofansisland UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-13492/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-13492/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-13492
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-13492
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-13492

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-13492/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.