# CVE-2026-16078: WCPOS <= 1.9.8 - Authenticated (Shop Manager+) Path Traversal to Arbitrary File Read via 'type' Parameter

> Authenticated shop managers can read arbitrary server files via path traversal in the WCPOS plugin, exposing sensitive information.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **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:** 23 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 23 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4h8p-8qhg-5wv2

## What is CVE-2026-16078?

CVE-2026-16078 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in kilbot WCPOS – Point of Sale (POS) plugin for WooCommerce, published on 23 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The WCPOS – Point of Sale (POS) plugin for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.8 via the 'type' parameter parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with shop manager-level access and above, to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. Successful exploitation requires supplying context=edit in the request, which bypasses the content-stripping logic in prepare_item_for_response() and returns the traversed file verbatim in the REST API response.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16078?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-16078?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16078 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-16078 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16078 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16078 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16078 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in kilbot WCPOS – Point of Sale (POS) plugin for WooCommerce, published on 23 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-2026-16078 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: kilbot WCPOS – Point of Sale (POS) plugin for WooCommerce. 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-2026-16078/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16078/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16078
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16078
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16078

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16078/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.