dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-3666

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-04
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 wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.16. This is due to a missing file name/path validation against path traversal sequences. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the server by embedding a crafted path traversal string in a forum post body and then deleting the post.

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 wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress versions up to 2.4.16 lacks proper path validation when deleting forum posts, allowing authenticated users with subscriber-level access to inject path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../) in post content to delete arbitrary files on the server.

MitigationUpdate wpForo Forum to version 2.4.17 or later which includes path traversal validation. Until then, restrict forum posting permissions to trusted users only.

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. Verify wpForo plugin is installed
    Check for the wpForo plugin in WordPress by looking for /wp-content/plugins/wpforo/ directory or inspecting the plugins list via WordPress admin at Plugins > Installed Plugins
    Affected if wpForo plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify installed wpForo version
    Check the main plugin file /wp-content/plugins/wpforo/wpforo.php for the 'Version' header, or view the version displayed in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins > wpForo
    Affected if version is 2.4.16 or lower (any version up to and including 2.4.16)
  3. Confirm subscriber role has post creation permissions
    Navigate to wpForo > Settings > Forums > General tab and check if the Subscriber role is granted permission to create posts, or inspect WordPress user roles under Users > Users and verify subscriber-level access to forum posting capabilities
    Affected if Subscriber-level users are permitted to create or edit forum posts
  4. Verify post deletion is accessible to subscribers
    Check wpForo > Settings > Permissions or similar permission settings to confirm whether subscribers can delete their own posts or any posts, which is required for the path traversal deletion to execute
    Affected if Subscribers have the ability to delete posts (their own or any posts)
  5. Review server logs for suspicious deletion attempts
    Examine web server access logs (Apache/nginx) and WordPress debug logs for patterns like '../' or '..%2F' in URLs or POST data related to wpForo post deletion endpoints (typically /wp-content/plugins/wpforo/ajax.php or similar post deletion actions)
    Affected if any log entries show path traversal sequences in requests to wpForo deletion functions

You are affected if wpForo version 2.4.16 or lower is installed AND subscriber-level users have permission to create and delete posts in the forum.

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 wpForo Forum to version 2.4.17 or later which includes path traversal validation. Until then, restrict forum posting permissions to trusted users only.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

wpForo Forum version higher than 2.4.16 (check WordPress plugin repository for latest stable release)

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the wpForo Forum plugin
  4. Check the current version installed (should be 2.4.16 or below)
  5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version
  6. Alternatively, download the latest version of wpForo Forum from the official WordPress plugin repository and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. After updating, verify the new version number in the Plugins list

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
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2026-3666 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