# CVE-2026-6518: File upload in CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes

> Authenticated attackers with Editor or Administrator privileges can upload malicious files via an AJAX action, leading to remote code execution on the WordPress server.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 18 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 20 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cwq2-35x4-44pq

## What is CVE-2026-6518?

CVE-2026-6518 is a high-severity vulnerability in CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes, published on 18 Apr 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file upload and remote code execution in all versions up to, and including, 4.1.16 via the `cmp_theme_update_install` AJAX action. This is due to the function only checking for the `publish_pages` capability (available to Editors and above) instead of `manage_options` (Administrators only), combined with a lack of proper validation on the user-supplied file URL and no verification of the downloaded file's content before extraction. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to force the server to download and extract a malicious ZIP file from a remote attacker-controlled URL into a web-accessible directory (`wp-content/plugins/cmp-premium-themes/`), resulting in remote code execution. Due to the lack of a nonce for Editors, they are unable to exploit this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-6518?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-6518?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-6518 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-6518 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-6518 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-6518 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-6518 is a high-severity vulnerability in CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes, published on 18 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-2026-6518 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes. 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-2026-6518/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-6518/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-6518
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-6518
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-6518

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-6518/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.