CVE-2026-4031
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 Database Backup for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 2.5.2. This is due to the plugin not restricting access to the wp_db_temp_dir parameter, which controls where database backups are written. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to send a request to wp-cron.php with a poisoned wp_db_temp_dir value pointing to a publicly accessible directory (e.g., wp-content/uploads/), and if a scheduled backup is due, intercept the backup file before it is cleaned up. The backup file has a predictable name based on the database name, table prefix, date, and Swatch Internet Time, making interception reliable. Successful exploitation leads to Sensitive Information Exposure including database credentials, user password hashes, and personally identifiable information. This vulnerability requires that the site administrator has configured scheduled backups.
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 Database Backup for WordPress plugin fails to restrict access to the wp_db_temp_dir parameter, allowing unauthenticated attackers to poison this value via wp-cron.php requests. When scheduled backups run, the backup file is written to a publicly accessible directory (e.g., wp-content/uploads/) with a predictable filename based on database name, table prefix, date, and Swatch Internet Time, enabling interception of sensitive data including database credentials, password hashes, and PII.
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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Database Backup plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Database Backup' or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a database-backup folder. Note the installed version if visible.Affected if The plugin is installed and no recent security update has been applied.
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Check for scheduled backup configurationIn WordPress admin, go to Database Backup settings and look for 'Schedule Backup' or 'Automatic Backup' options. Alternatively, check wp_options table for 'db_backup_cron' or similar cron-related options.Affected if Scheduled backups are enabled - this is required for the attack to write poisoned backups to public directories.
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Inspect wp_db_temp_dir configuration valueQuery the wp_options table for 'wp_db_temp_dir' option: SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'wp_db_temp_dir'; Check if the value points to an unexpected or user-controlled directory.Affected if The wp_db_temp_dir option exists and contains a value pointing to wp-content/uploads/ or another web-accessible location.
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Search for backup files in public directoriesList files in /wp-content/uploads/ and look for SQL or .gz files with naming patterns containing database name, table prefix, dates, and .swt (Swatch Internet Time) extensions, e.g., dbname_prefix_2026-01-01-00-00-00_123.swp.sqlAffected if Backup files exist in wp-content/uploads/ or other web-accessible directories.
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Verify backup file permissionsCheck if backup files in wp-content/uploads/ are world-readable (644 permissions) and accessible via HTTP request to the direct URL.Affected if Backup files are publicly accessible over the web (HTTP 200 response on direct URL access).
A user is affected if the Database Backup plugin is installed with scheduled backups enabled and backup files are being written to publicly accessible directories like wp-content/uploads/.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate the Database Backup for WordPress plugin to the latest version that restricts access to the wp_db_temp_dir parameter. If unable to update immediately, disable scheduled backups until the patch can be applied.
Database Backup for WordPress plugin version 2.5.3 or later
- 1. Update the Database Backup for WordPress plugin to the latest available version from the WordPress plugin repository.
- 2. After updating, verify that scheduled backups are still functioning correctly.
- 3. If possible, change database credentials as a precautionary measure since the backup files may have been exposed.
- 4. Review the wp-content/uploads/ directory and other publicly accessible directories for any leftover backup files and delete them if found.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-4031 — 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-2026-4031 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