dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-6403

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Quick Playground plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in versions up to and including 1.3.3. This is due to insufficient path validation in the qckply_zip_theme() function, which appends a user-controlled 'stylesheet' parameter directly to the theme root directory path without sanitizing directory traversal sequences. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to trigger the creation of a ZIP archive containing arbitrary files from the server's filesystem — including wp-config.

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 Quick Playground WordPress plugin (versions up to 1.3.3) contains a path traversal vulnerability in the qckply_zip_theme() function. The 'stylesheet' parameter is appended directly to the theme root path without sanitizing directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../), allowing unauthenticated attackers to access arbitrary files on the server and trigger their ZIP archive download.

MitigationUpdate to the latest version of the Quick Playground plugin when available. Until then, disable the plugin or restrict access to the affected endpoint via web server configuration. The fix requires implementing proper path validation to prevent directory traversal and sanitizing user-supplied input before use in file operations.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Confirm Quick Playground plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Quick Playground' in the list. Alternatively, check the /wp-content/plugins/quick-playground/ directory exists on the server.
    Affected if The plugin is present in the plugins directory, regardless of activation status
  2. Identify installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin_plugins list, the version is displayed under the plugin name. Alternatively, read the main plugin file header in /wp-content/plugins/quick-playground/quick-playground.php and look for 'Version:' comment.
    Affected if Version is 1.3.3 or lower (the vulnerable range)
  3. Verify vulnerable function exists in codebase
    Search the plugin files for the function 'qckply_zip_theme'. Check if the function uses the 'stylesheet' parameter in a file path operation without sanitizing '../' sequences. Look for code patterns like 'theme_root . $_REQUEST["stylesheet"]' or similar direct concatenation.
    Affected if The qckply_zip_theme function exists and directly uses the 'stylesheet' parameter in file operations without validation
  4. Confirm AJAX endpoint is accessible
    Test if the plugin registers an AJAX action (typically 'wp_ajax_qckply_zip_theme' or 'wp_ajax_nopriv_qckply_zip_theme'). Check the plugin code for add_action calls registering this endpoint. Attempt a HEAD request to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=qckply_zip_theme to verify it responds.
    Affected if The AJAX endpoint responding to 'qckply_zip_theme' action is registered and accessible to unauthenticated users (nopriv)
  5. Check for existing exploitation indicators
    Review web server access logs for requests to admin-ajax.php with action=qckply_zip_theme containing directory traversal patterns (../). Also check for ZIP file downloads or unusual outbound archive transfers.
    Affected if Recent requests contain 'stylesheet' parameters with '../' sequences or logs show unauthorized file access attempts

A defender is affected if the Quick Playground plugin versions 1.3.3 or lower is installed and the qckply_zip_theme AJAX endpoint is accessible (even without authentication), as this allows path traversal via the unsanitized 'stylesheet' parameter.

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

Update to the latest version of the Quick Playground plugin when available. Until then, disable the plugin or restrict access to the affected endpoint via web server configuration. The fix requires implementing proper path validation to prevent directory traversal and sanitizing user-supplied input before use in file operations.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2026-6403 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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