CVE-2026-52716
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 · uneditedUnauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion in WorkScout-Core <= 1.7.11 versions.
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 · moderate confidenceUnauthenticated arbitrary file deletion vulnerability in WorkScout-Core theme/plugin for WordPress affecting versions 1.7.11 and below, allowing remote attackers to delete arbitrary files on the server without any authentication credentials.
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
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
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.
-
Identify if WorkScout-Core is installedNavigate to WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins or Appearance > Themes, and look for WorkScout-Core listed as an installed plugin or themeAffected if WorkScout-Core appears in the list of installed plugins or themes
-
Check the installed version of WorkScout-CoreIn WordPress admin, click on the WorkScout-Core plugin or theme details to view its version number. Alternatively, check the plugin header in the main plugin file (usually in wp-content/plugins/workscout-core/ directory)Affected if The displayed version is 1.7.11 or any version below 1.7.11 (for example, 1.7.10, 1.7.9, 1.0.0, etc.)
-
Verify if the vulnerable file deletion functionality is accessibleCheck the plugin directory for PHP files that handle file operations (such as delete_file, remove_attachment, or similar file manipulation functions). Look for AJAX actions or REST endpoints that accept a file path parameter without authentication checksAffected if Such endpoints exist and are accessible without requiring authentication (no wpnonce verification or user capability checks found)
-
Inspect server access logs for exploitation attemptsReview web server access logs (Apache error.log, Nginx access.log) for requests to the vulnerable file deletion endpoint, searching for patterns like 'delete' or 'wp-json' combined with 'file' parametersAffected if Recent logs show unauthenticated requests to file deletion endpoints with paths outside the expected uploads directory
You are affected if WorkScout-Core is installed and the version is 1.7.11 or lower, AND the vulnerable file deletion functionality is exposed without authentication.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate WorkScout-Core to the latest patched version immediately. If no update is available, remove the plugin entirely and conduct a security audit to check for any post-compromise artifacts or unauthorized changes.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-52716 — 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-2026-52716 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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