CVE-2026-12240
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe Export User Data plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the unserialize function in all versions up to, and including, 2.2.6. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-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). Successful exploitation requires an administrator to trigger a user data export while a subscriber-level (or higher) user has stored a crafted serialized XLSXWriter object payload as their display name.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe Export User Data plugin for WordPress uses PHP unserialize() on user display names without validation in versions up to 2.2.6. An authenticated subscriber-level attacker can store a malicious serialized XLSXWriter object as their display name; when an administrator exports user data, this triggers arbitrary file deletion via the deserialization gadget, potentially enabling RCE by deleting wp-config.php.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Export User Data plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins and locate 'Export User Data' or check /wp-content/plugins/ for the plugin directoryAffected if The plugin is installed and active in WordPress
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Check the installed plugin versionIn WordPress admin > Plugins, find Export User Data and note the version number displayed. Compare against 2.2.6Affected if Version is 2.2.6 or lower (any version up to 2.2.6 is affected)
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Confirm existence of subscriber-level user accountsIn WordPress admin > Users, examine the user list and check if any accounts have the Subscriber role assignedAffected if There are user accounts with Subscriber role (or any role below Administrator)
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Verify the admin export feature exists and is accessibleNavigate to the plugin admin page (typically under Tools menu as Export User Data) to confirm the export functionality is availableAffected if The Export User Data admin page with export capability is accessible
Your environment is affected if Export User Data plugin version 2.2.6 or lower is installed, there are subscriber-level user accounts present, and the admin export user data feature is accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate the plugin to version 2.2.7 or later which patches the insecure deserialization. If no update is available, deactivate the plugin immediately. Consider deploying a WAF rule to block unserialize calls as a temporary mitigation.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-12240 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-12240 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data