CVE-2026-6261
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 Betheme theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Upload in versions up to, and including, 28.4. This is due to the upload_icons() function workflow moving and unzipping user-controlled ZIP files into a public uploads directory without validating extracted file types. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to upload arbitrary files (including PHP) and achieve remote code execution via the Icons icon-pack upload flow.
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 Betheme WordPress theme versions up to 28.4 contains an authenticated arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the upload_icons() function. The function accepts user-controlled ZIP files from author-level users via the Icons icon-pack upload flow, extracts them to the public uploads directory without validating extracted file types, allowing PHP files to be uploaded and executed for RCE.
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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm Betheme theme is installedLog into WordPress admin, go to Appearance > Themes, and verify Betheme is listed as the active theme or installed.Affected if Betheme theme is active on the WordPress site
-
Identify the Betheme versionIn WordPress admin, go to Betheme > About (or check theme style.css header for Version:), or access the theme directory via FTP/SFTP and read the style.css file to find the version number.Affected if Version is 28.4 or lower (the vulnerability exists in versions up to 28.4)
-
Locate the upload_icons functionAccess the theme files via FTP/SFTP or file manager, navigate to /wp-content/themes/betheme/, and search for 'function upload_icons' in PHP files, typically in functions.php or includes/admin/Affected if The function upload_icons() exists in the theme code, indicating the vulnerable code path is present
-
Verify author-level user access to icon uploadIn WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users, and check if any users with Author role exist who have upload_files capability, or check if the Icons upload interface at Betheme > Icons is accessible to Author-level users.Affected if Author-level users exist with upload capability and can access the Icons icon-pack upload flow
The environment is affected if Betheme version is 28.4 or lower AND the upload_icons() function exists AND author-level users can access the icon-pack upload feature.
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 dataApply vendor patch (update to version 28.5 or later) which adds proper file type validation in upload_icons() to prevent PHP file extraction. Until patched, disable the icon-pack upload feature or restrict upload capabilities.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-6261 — 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-2026-6261 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