# CVE-2026-15601: Kirki <= 6.0.13 - Authenticated (Editor+) Path Traversal to Arbitrary File Write (Zip Slip)

> Authenticated attackers can exploit a Zip Slip vulnerability in the Kirki WordPress plugin to write arbitrary files and achieve remote code execution.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w4j2-hwpx-q9c7

## What is CVE-2026-15601?

CVE-2026-15601 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in themeum Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer, published on 1 Aug 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal (Zip Slip) in all versions up to, and including, 6.0.13 via the extract_zip_file function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with custom-level access and above, to write arbitrary files on the server, which can allow for remote code execution. The install_app, update_app, and get_kirki_template_from_zip code paths accept a user-supplied app src value to construct the download URL, and no sanitization is applied to prevent a crafted ZIP from being fetched and extracted with path-traversing entry names that escape the intended destination directory.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-15601?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-15601?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-15601 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-15601 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-15601 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-15601 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-15601 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in themeum Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer, published on 1 Aug 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-15601 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: themeum Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer. 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-2026-15601/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-15601/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-15601
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-15601
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-15601

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-15601/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.