# CVE-2026-4132: Path traversal in HTTP Headers

> Administrators can achieve remote code execution by writing arbitrary PHP code to server files via unsanitized path and username parameters.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 22 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gg9v-56ph-3gr7

## What is CVE-2026-4132?

CVE-2026-4132 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in zinoui HTTP Headers, published on 22 Apr 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The HTTP Headers plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to External Control of File Name or Path leading to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to and including 1.19.2. This is due to insufficient validation of the file path stored in the 'hh_htpasswd_path' option and lack of sanitization on the 'hh_www_authenticate_user' option value. The plugin allows administrators to set an arbitrary file path for the htpasswd file location and does not validate that the path has a safe file extension (e.g., restricting to .htpasswd). Additionally, the username field used for HTTP Basic Authentication is written directly into the file without sanitization. The apache_auth_credentials() function constructs the file content using the unsanitized username via sprintf('%s:{SHA}%s', $user, ...), and update_auth_credentials() writes this content to the attacker-controlled path via file_put_contents(). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to write arbitrary content (including PHP code) to arbitrary file paths on the server, effectively achieving Remote Code Execution.

Weakness: CWE-73 (External Control of File Name or Path)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-4132?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-4132?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-4132 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-4132 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-4132 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-4132 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-4132 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in zinoui HTTP Headers, published on 22 Apr 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-4132 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: zinoui HTTP Headers. 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-2026-4132/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-4132/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-4132
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-4132
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-4132

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-4132/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.