dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-4280

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Breaking News WP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.3. This is due to the brnwp_ajax_form AJAX endpoint lacking both authorization checks and CSRF verification, combined with insufficient path validation when the brnwp_theme option value is passed directly to an include() statement in the brnwp_show_breaking_news_wp() shortcode handler. While sanitize_text_field() is applied to user input, it does not strip directory traversal sequences (../). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to overwrite the brnwp_theme option with a directory traversal payload (e.g., ../../../../etc/passwd) and subsequently trigger file inclusion of arbitrary files on the server when the shortcode is rendered.

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 Breaking News WP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion (LFI) due to insufficient path validation in the brnwp_show_breaking_news_wp() shortcode handler. The brnwp_ajax_form AJAX endpoint lacks authorization checks and CSRF protection, and while sanitize_text_field() is applied to user input, it does not strip directory traversal sequences (../). Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access can manipulate the brnwp_theme option with a path traversal payload (e.g., ../../../../etc/passwd) to include arbitrary files on the server when the shortcode renders.

MitigationImplement proper path validation using realpath() to resolve and verify the final path is within an allowed directory, add capability checks and nonces for AJAX requests, and use a whitelist approach for theme file selection instead of allowing arbitrary file paths.

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
None
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Identify if Breaking News WP plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Breaking News WP' or check the file /wp-content/plugins/breaking-news-wp/ exists. Retrieve the plugin version from the plugin header comment in the main PHP file.
    Affected if Plugin is installed and active, but the specific vulnerable version (if known) is in use
  2. Check for the vulnerable shortcode handler
    Search the plugin files for 'brnwp_show_breaking_news_wp' function and verify it processes the brnwp_theme option without realpath() validation. Use grep: grep -r 'brnwp_show_breaking_news_wp' /path/to/wp-content/plugins/breaking-news-wp/
    Affected if The shortcode handler function exists and directly includes files based on the brnwp_theme option without proper path validation
  3. Inspect the brnwp_theme option value
    Query the WordPress options table: SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'brnwp_theme'; Or go to plugin settings page and examine the theme/file selection field.
    Affected if The option contains a path traversal sequence (../) or points to a file outside the expected plugin directory
  4. Verify AJAX endpoint accessibility
    Check if /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=brnwp_ajax_form is accessible. Test with a low-privilege subscriber account by sending a POST request with the brnwp_theme parameter containing a test path traversal payload.
    Affected if The AJAX endpoint responds without requiring authentication or capability checks
  5. Confirm subscriber-level access exists
    In WordPress admin under Users > All Users, verify there are accounts with the 'Subscriber' role. Check user_role meta or use: SELECT u.user_login, um.meta_value FROM wp_users u JOIN wp_usermeta um ON u.ID = um.user_id WHERE um.meta_key = 'wp_capabilities' AND um.meta_value LIKE '%subscriber%';
    Affected if Any Subscriber-level accounts exist in the system who could exploit this vulnerability

You are affected if the Breaking News WP plugin is installed, the shortcode handler processes brnwp_theme without realpath() validation, and any Subscriber-level authenticated user exists who could trigger the AJAX endpoint with a path traversal payload.

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

Implement proper path validation using realpath() to resolve and verify the final path is within an allowed directory, add capability checks and nonces for AJAX requests, and use a whitelist approach for theme file selection instead of allowing arbitrary file paths.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
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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-2026-4280 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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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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