CVE-2026-4853 Path traversal in JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate
Authenticated administrators can delete arbitrary directories via path traversal in the fileName parameter, causing severe site disruption.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-4853?
CVE-2026-4853 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in backupguard JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate, published on 17 Apr 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal leading to Arbitrary Directory Deletion in versions up to and including 3.1.19.8. This is due to insufficient input validation on the fileName parameter in the file upload handler. The plugin sanitizes the fileName parameter using sanitize_text_field(), which removes HTML tags but does not prevent path traversal sequences like '../'. The unsanitized filename is then directly concatenated in Upload::getFileLocation() without using basename() or validating the resolved path stays within the intended directory. When an invalid file is uploaded, the cleanup logic calls dirname() on the traversed path and passes it to Util::rm(), which recursively deletes the entire resolved directory. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrator-level access to traverse outside the intended upload directory and trigger deletion of critical WordPress directories such as wp-content/plugins, effectively disabling all installed plugins and causing severe site disruption.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-4853?
How do I fix CVE-2026-4853?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-4853 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-2026-4853 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-4853 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-8cfg-qq42-h3w8.