MW WP Form <= 5.1.1 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Move via regenerate_upload_file_keys
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-5436 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | Wordfence |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-04-08 21:17:01 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-04-08 21:26:13 UTC |
| Description | The MW WP Form plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Move/Read in all versions up to and including 5.1.1. This is due to insufficient validation of the $name parameter (upload field key) passed to the generate_user_file_dirpath() function, which uses WordPress's path_join() — a function that returns absolute paths unchanged, discarding the intended base directory. The attacker-controlled key is injected via the mwf_upload_files[] POST parameter, which is loaded into the plugin's Data model via _set_request_valiables(). During form processing, regenerate_upload_file_keys() iterates over these keys and calls generate_user_filepath() with the attacker-supplied key as the $name argument — the key survives validation because the targeted file (e.g., wp-config.php) genuinely exists at the absolute path. The _get_attachments() method then re-reads the same surviving keys and passes the resolved file path to move_temp_file_to_upload_dir(), which calls rename() to move the file into the uploads folder. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to move arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is moved (such as wp-config.php). The vulnerability is only exploitable if a file upload field is added to the form and the “Saving inquiry data in database” option is enabled. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 8.1 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS: 0.002380000 probability, percentile 0.468520000 (date 2026-04-14)
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] | Primary | 8.1 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 8.1 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Inc2734 | MW WP Form | affected 5.1.1 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/bc308993-7fc5-41db-a396-f05e9... | [email protected] | www.wordfence.com | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mw-wp-form/tags/5.1.1/classes/models/class.data.php | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3501261/mw-wp-form | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| github.com/web-soudan/mw-wp-form/commit/f872ab18ca670f5867b2241745daa30c... | [email protected] | github.com | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/mw-wp-form/tags/5.1.1/classes/models/class.directory.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: Sander Horsman (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-04-02T18:01:08.000Z | Vendor Notified |
| CNA | 2026-04-08T07:57:15.000Z | Disclosed |
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.