Better Messages <= 2.15.19 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal via 'file' Parameter
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-16585 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | Wordfence |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-07-28 07:16:41 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-07-28 16:17:32 UTC |
| Description | The Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the delete_sticker function in all versions up to, and including, 2.15.19. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php). The prefix check intended to restrict deletion to the uploads directory can be bypassed by crafting a URL that begins with the legitimate uploads base URL but embeds ../ traversal sequences in the path portion, as the normalize_sticker function only applies esc_url_raw(), which does not strip ../ sequences, allowing the traversal payload to be stored verbatim in WordPress options. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.2 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS: 0.007340000 probability, percentile 0.507150000 (date 2026-07-29)
Problem Types: CWE-22 | CWE-22 CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 7.2 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 7.2 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
HighUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Wordplus | Better Messages Chat Rooms Group Chat Private Messages AI Chat Bots | affected 2.15.19 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/e9274957-7584-4df6-bb2a-d7455... | [email protected] | www.wordfence.com | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3623636/bp-better-messages/trunk/addons/stickers/re... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/rest.php | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/pack-... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/rest.php | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/rest.php | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Wordfence PRISM (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-07-22T14:00:28.000Z | Vendor Notified |
| CNA | 2026-07-27T16:36:42.000Z | Disclosed |
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.