CVE-2026-19991 UsersWP <= 1.2.70 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary File Deletion
Authenticated attackers can delete arbitrary files on the server via path traversal in the UsersWP WordPress plugin.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-19991?
CVE-2026-19991 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 11 Sep 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, 1.2.70 via the upload_file_remove() AJAX handler. The plugin stores the value of an account 'file' form field taken directly from $_POST when no real $_FILES upload is provided (process_account() calls uwp_validate_fields() and array_merges the result with the empty output of UsersWP_Files::validate_uploads()). At storage time the value is only checked with validate_file(), which passes any string that does not contain a literal '../'. When the value is later processed by upload_file_remove(), it is again gated with validate_file() and then normalized through uwp_get_file_relative_url(); that helper performs a global str_replace() of the uploads base URL against the stored URL, allowing a crafted URL containing embedded '..<uploads-baseurl>' tokens to collapse into '../../' traversal sequences after the last validation. The transformed value is then appended to the uploads base directory and passed to wp_delete_file() without any canonical containment check. 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
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-19991?
How do I fix CVE-2026-19991?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-19991 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-19991 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-19991 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-mw4c-2xg7-r9h8.