CVE-2026-5809 wpForo Forum <= 3.0.2 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary File Deletion via 'data[body][fileurl]' Parameter
Authenticated attackers can delete arbitrary files on the server via a path traversal flaw in the wpForo Forum 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-2026-5809?
CVE-2026-5809 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in tomdever wpForo Forum, published on 11 Apr 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Deletion in versions up to and including 3.0.2. This is due to a two-step logic flaw: the topic_add() and topic_edit() action handlers accept arbitrary user-supplied data[*] arrays from $_REQUEST and store them as postmeta without restricting which fields may contain array values. Because 'body' is included in the allowed topic fields list, an attacker can supply data[body][fileurl] with an arbitrary file path (e.g., wp-config.php or an absolute server path). This poisoned fileurl is persisted to the plugin's custom postmeta database table. Subsequently, when the attacker submits wpftcf_delete[]=body on a topic_edit request, the add_file() method retrieves the stored postmeta record, extracts the attacker-controlled fileurl, passes it through wpforo_fix_upload_dir() which only rewrites legitimate wpforo upload paths and returns all other paths unchanged, and then calls wp_delete_file() on the unvalidated path. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files writable by the PHP process on the server, including critical files such as wp-config.
Weakness: CWE-73
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-5809?
How do I fix CVE-2026-5809?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-5809 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-2026-5809 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5809 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-32mm-8hwv-mvwg.