dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-5957

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-05
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 EmailKit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to and including 1.6.5. This is due to a flawed path traversal validation in the create_template() method of the CheckForm class, where realpath() is called on the allowed base directory (wp-content/uploads/emailkit/templates/) which may not exist, causing it to return false. In PHP 8.x, strpos($real_path, false) implicitly converts false to an empty string, and strpos() with an empty needle always returns 0, causing the check strpos(...) !== 0 to evaluate to false and bypassing the path validation entirely. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-level access and above, to read arbitrary files from the server, including sensitive files such as wp-config.php, by supplying an absolute path to the emailkit-editor-template REST API parameter.

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 EmailKit WordPress plugin versions up to 1.6.5 contain an arbitrary file read vulnerability due to flawed path traversal validation in the create_template() method. The vulnerability stems from realpath() being called on a base directory that may not exist, returning false. In PHP 8.x, strpos($real_path, false) implicitly converts false to an empty string, and since strpos() with an empty needle returns 0, the check strpos(...) !== 0 evaluates to false, bypassing the path validation entirely. Authenticated attackers with Author-level access can read arbitrary files including wp-config.php via the emailkit-editor-template REST API parameter.

MitigationUpdate EmailKit plugin to a version beyond 1.6.5 when available, or implement proper path validation that checks file existence and validates paths against the base directory before allowing file access.

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 EmailKit plugin version
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins > EmailKit and read the Version field. Alternatively, inspect the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/emailkit/emailkit.php for 'Version:' value.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.6.5 or any earlier version.
  2. Verify REST API endpoint exists
    Check if the emailkit-editor-template REST API route is registered by visiting /wp-json/wp/v2/routes or inspecting the plugin's REST API initialization code in the emailkit plugin directory.
    Affected if The endpoint is registered and accessible without additional restrictions.
  3. Confirm Author-level or higher user roles exist
    In WordPress admin, go to Users and review user roles. Check wp_usermeta table or user capabilities to identify accounts with 'edit_posts' capability (Author role) or higher.
    Affected if Any user account has Author-level permissions or above.
  4. Check for path traversal access to sensitive files
    If the plugin is vulnerable, attempt a controlled test read of a non-sensitive file using the create_template() parameter with paths like ../../wp-config.php. Inspect server logs for successful file reads.
    Affected if The plugin allows reading files outside the intended template directory via path traversal sequences.

You are affected if EmailKit plugin version 1.6.5 or earlier is installed, the REST API endpoint is exposed, and at least one user with Author-level or higher privileges exists in the WordPress installation.

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 EmailKit plugin to a version beyond 1.6.5 when available, or implement proper path validation that checks file existence and validates paths against the base directory before allowing file access.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

EmailKit version higher than 1.6.5 (latest version available from WordPress plugin repository)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed EmailKit plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins
  2. 2. Check if the installed version is 1.6.5 or lower
  3. 3. Navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin (or check WordPress repository for an update)
  4. 4. Update to the latest available version of EmailKit (version higher than 1.6.5)
  5. 5. Verify the update was successful by confirming the new version number
  6. 6. Test that the emailkit-editor-template REST API endpoint properly validates paths and blocks directory traversal attempts
  7. 7. Consider reviewing server access logs for any signs of exploitation attempts targeting the vulnerable endpoint

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
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,610
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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-2026-5957 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