dbcve.org
VulnerabilityAwaiting classification

CVE-2026-12511

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click 6 weeks old

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 · unedited
The AI Engine WordPress plugin before 3.5.5 does not sanitize a user-supplied filename before using it to write a downloaded file, allowing authenticated users with editor-level access to write attacker-controlled bytes to an arbitrary location on the server via path traversal.

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 confidence

The AI Engine WordPress plugin before version 3.5.5 contains a path traversal vulnerability in its file download functionality. Authenticated users with editor-level access can supply a malicious filename containing directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../) to write attacker-controlled content to arbitrary locations on the server file system.

MitigationUpdate the AI Engine plugin to version 3.5.5 or later, which includes proper sanitization of the user-supplied filename parameter before writing downloaded files.

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify AI Engine plugin is installed
    Check for the presence of the AI Engine plugin in WordPress: look for the /wp-content/plugins/ai-engine/ directory, or list installed plugins via WP-CLI: wp plugin list --name='ai-engine'
    Affected if The plugin directory or listing shows ai-engine is present
  2. Determine installed AI Engine version
    Read the main plugin file header for the version number, typically in /wp-content/plugins/ai-engine/ai-engine.php, or use WP-CLI: wp plugin get ai-engine --field=version
    Affected if The version returned is lower than 3.5.5 (e.g., 3.5.4, 3.5.0, etc.)
  3. Confirm user role is editor or higher
    Check if the WordPress user account accessing the site has the editor, author, or administrator role, or query wp_users and wp_usermeta for role data
    Affected if An authenticated user with editor-level privileges (editor, author, admin) exists on the site
  4. Identify if file download feature is accessible
    Review the plugin settings or API endpoints that handle file downloads and look for endpoints that accept filenames (check for parameters like 'file', 'filename', 'download', or 'url' in HTTP requests to the plugin)
    Affected if The plugin exposes functionality that processes user-supplied filenames for file write operations

You are affected if AI Engine plugin version is below 3.5.5 AND an authenticated user with editor-level permissions exists on the site AND the vulnerable file download functionality is accessible to that user.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the AI Engine plugin to version 3.5.5 or later, which includes proper sanitization of the user-supplied filename parameter before writing downloaded files.

Recommended fix High confidence

AI Engine plugin version 3.5.5

  1. Backup your WordPress site database and files before updating
  2. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  3. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  4. Find the AI Engine plugin
  5. If an update to version 3.5.5 or later is available, click 'Update Now'
  6. Alternatively, download version 3.5.5 from the WordPress plugin repository and upload manually via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. Verify the plugin updated successfully by checking the installed version
  8. Confirm the new version is 3.5.5 or higher
Caveat Review plugin changelog for any breaking changes between your current version and 3.5.5; minor version updates typically maintain backward compatibility

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-12511 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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