# CVE-2026-16144: Kali Forms <= 2.4.20 - Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via 'thisPermalink' Field Parameter

> Unauthenticated attackers can execute arbitrary code on WordPress sites using the Kali Forms plugin if specific reserved field names are present in the form configuration.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w9gv-h9qh-63cm

## What is CVE-2026-16144?

CVE-2026-16144 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in wpchill Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder, published on 1 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.20 via the _save_data function. This is due to insufficient validation of the 'thisPermalink' field value before it overwrites a trusted callable placeholder, allowing attacker-controlled strings to reach call_user_func() in _save_data(). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server. Exploitation requires the target form to define a field with a name matching one of the reserved placeholder keys ('thisPermalink', 'entryCounter', or 'submission_link'), as check_if_placeholders_changed() only processes POST keys present in the form's field_type_map.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16144?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-16144?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16144 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-16144 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16144 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16144 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16144 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in wpchill Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder, published on 1 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16144 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: wpchill Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder. 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-2026-16144/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16144/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16144
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16144
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16144

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16144/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.