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PHP File Inclusion (RFI/LFI)Weakness · CWE-98

CVE-2026-7522

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Advanced Database Cleaner – Premium plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in versions up to, and including, 4.1.0 via the 'template' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where .php file types can be uploaded and included.

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 Advanced Database Cleaner Premium WordPress plugin (versions up to 4.1.0) contains a Local File Inclusion vulnerability via the 'template' parameter. Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can manipulate this parameter to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, achieving remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a version beyond 4.1.0 when available. As an interim measure, audit and restrict subscriber-level user capabilities and monitor for suspicious file inclusion requests.

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Advanced Database Cleaner' or 'Advanced Database Cleaner - Premium' and note the version number displayed below the plugin name. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file header for the Version tag.
    Affected if The installed version is 4.1.0 or lower.
  2. Verify Subscriber-level user accounts exist
    Navigate to Users > All Users in the WordPress admin panel. Review the list to identify any users assigned the Subscriber role.
    Affected if At least one user with Subscriber role exists and has access to the WordPress admin area.
  3. Confirm the plugin exposes the vulnerable template parameter
    Check plugin PHP files (typically in wp-content/plugins/advanced-database-cleaner or similar) for code handling a 'template' parameter that uses include, require, or similar functions without proper sanitization. Search for patterns like $_GET['template'] being passed to include/require.
    Affected if The code contains unsanitized use of a 'template' parameter in include/require statements.
  4. Test for LFI via template parameter
    If you have access to a test environment, send a crafted request to the plugin's admin-ajax.php or any endpoint that processes the template parameter, such as: admin-ajax.php?action=adb_cleanup_template&template=../../../../../../../../etc/passwd (adjust path based on known plugin endpoints).
    Affected if The application responds with content from files outside the intended template directory.
  5. Review user role capabilities
    Navigate to Users > All Users and click on a Subscriber user. Verify that the user can access the WordPress admin dashboard or that the plugin is accessible to this role via role capabilities.
    Affected if Subscriber users can access the WordPress admin or the plugin functionality.

Your environment is affected if the Advanced Database Cleaner plugin version is 4.1.0 or lower AND any Subscriber-level user account exists in WordPress, allowing authenticated LFI exploitation via the template 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 the plugin to a version beyond 4.1.0 when available. As an interim measure, audit and restrict subscriber-level user capabilities and monitor for suspicious file inclusion requests.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,820
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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-2026-7522 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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