# 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.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-32mm-8hwv-mvwg

## 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 (External Control of File Name or Path)

## 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.

## Is CVE-2026-5809 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5809 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-5809 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5809 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: tomdever wpForo Forum. 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-2026-5809/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5809/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-5809
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-5809
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-5809

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5809/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.