dbcve.org
Unrestricted File UploadWeakness · CWE-434

CVE-2026-5524

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click 7 weeks old

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 Divi Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Upload leading to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to and including 5.1.8. This is due to insufficient file extension validation in the do_image_upload() function where user-supplied input from the acceptFileTypes POST parameter is directly interpolated into a regular expression used to validate uploaded files. Attackers can specify PHP-executable extensions such as .phtml, .phar, .php5, or .php7 to bypass the plugin's .htaccess protection which only blocks .php files specifically. Additionally, on Nginx-based servers, the .htaccess protection is completely ineffective as Nginx does not process .htaccess files. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers (who can obtain a nonce from any public page containing a form) to upload executable PHP files to the publicly accessible /wp-content/uploads/de_fb_uploads/ directory and achieve Remote Code Execution by accessing the uploaded file via HTTP. The vulnerability was partially patched in version 5.1.3.

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 Divi Form Builder plugin for WordPress contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the do_image_upload() function. The acceptFileTypes POST parameter is directly interpolated into a regex without sanitization, allowing attackers to specify executable extensions like .phtml, .phar, .php5, or .php7 to bypass .htaccess protection that only blocks .php files. Unauthenticated attackers can obtain a nonce from public forms and upload PHP files to /wp-content/uploads/de_fb_uploads/, achieving remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate the Divi Form Builder plugin to the latest version immediately. As a temporary measure, disable the plugin or configure the web server to block script execution in the uploads directory (e.g., location ~* /uploads/.*\.php$ { deny all; } for Nginx).

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 Divi Form Builder plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Divi Form Builder', or check the plugin files in /wp-content/plugins/divi-form-builder/ for a main PHP file containing the version number
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active
  2. Determine installed plugin version
    Check the plugin header in the main PHP file (usually plugin-name.php or readme.txt) for the Version field, or view it in the WordPress plugin admin page
    Affected if The version is 5.1.8 or lower
  3. Confirm upload directory exists
    Check if /wp-content/uploads/de_fb_uploads/ directory exists on the server using file manager or SSH: ls -la /wp-content/uploads/ | grep de_fb_uploads
    Affected if The directory exists and is publicly accessible via web browser
  4. Inspect uploaded files for malicious extensions
    List all files in the upload directory: ls -la /wp-content/uploads/de_fb_uploads/ and look for files with extensions .phtml, .phar, .php5, .php7, or other executable extensions
    Affected if Any files with executable PHP extensions (.phtml, .phar, .php5, .php7) are present in the directory
  5. Check web server type and upload directory access
    Determine if the server runs Nginx or Apache. For Nginx, verify the upload directory is directly accessible. For Apache, verify .htaccess only blocks .php files
    Affected if Server runs Nginx or .htaccess protection only covers .php files (allowing other executable extensions)

You are affected if Divi Form Builder version 5.1.8 or lower is installed and the /wp-content/uploads/de_fb_uploads/ directory exists with any executable file types present.

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 the Divi Form Builder plugin to the latest version immediately. As a temporary measure, disable the plugin or configure the web server to block script execution in the uploads directory (e.g., location ~* /uploads/.*\.php$ { deny all; } for Nginx).

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Divi Form Builder version 5.1.9 or latest available version (later than 5.1.8)

  1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate 'Divi Form Builder' in the plugin list
  4. Check if an update is available (the fixed version is likely 5.1.9 or later)
  5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. If no update appears in WordPress, download the latest version from the official WordPress plugin repository or Divi Engine's website
  7. Deactivate the existing plugin, delete it, then install and activate the new version
  8. Verify the upload functionality still works as expected after the update

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-5524 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