Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-3243

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 Advanced Members for ACF plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the create_crop function in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.5. 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). The vulnerability was partially patched in version 1.2.5.

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 Advanced Members for ACF WordPress plugin has a path traversal vulnerability in its create_crop function that allows authenticated users with Subscriber-level permissions to delete arbitrary files on the server through insufficient path validation, potentially leading to RCE by deleting critical files like wp-config.php.

MitigationUpdate to the latest plugin version when available; as an interim measure, restrict file permissions and disable the affected function if possible, or implement web server-level access controls to prevent unauthorized file operations.

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
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checks

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

  1. Confirm plugin installation
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and verify 'Advanced Members for ACF' or similar named plugin is installed and active
    Affected if Plugin is installed and active in WordPress
  2. Identify installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, click on the plugin name to view version details, or inspect plugin main file header via file system
    Affected if Version is within the affected range or version cannot be determined (treat as vulnerable)
  3. Check for Subscriber-level user accounts
    In WordPress admin > Users, review user roles assigned. Subscriber role users exist by default on most WordPress sites
    Affected if Any user account has Subscriber role or higher access exists beyond Administrator
  4. Verify create_crop function accessibility
    Inspect plugin files (typically in wp-content/plugins/) for the create_crop function and confirm it handles file paths without proper sanitization
    Affected if The create_crop function exists and accepts user-controlled file path parameters without validation

User is affected if the Advanced Members for ACF plugin is installed with a vulnerable version AND any Subscriber-level or higher user account exists on the WordPress site.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to the latest plugin version when available; as an interim measure, restrict file permissions and disable the affected function if possible, or implement web server-level access controls to prevent unauthorized file operations.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-3243 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-3243 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
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