CVE-2026-8996
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 Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.22.26 via the download_recent_decrypted_file_wptc. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to extract download the most recently admin-decrypted SQL database backup, which typically contains password hashes, user credentials, and other sensitive site configuration data stored in the 'recent_decrypted_file' option. Exploitation requires that an administrator has previously performed a decrypt action, causing the decrypted SQL backup file to exist in the plugin's upload directory; without this prior admin action, there is no file to serve.
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 Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule plugin for WordPress contains a sensitive information exposure vulnerability in the download_recent_decrypted_file_wptc function. Authenticated users with subscriber-level access can download admin-decrypted SQL database backups containing password hashes, user credentials, and site configuration data. The attack requires that an administrator previously performed a decrypt operation, creating the downloadable file.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify WP Time Capsule plugin is installedLog into WordPress admin and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule' or 'WP Time Capsule' in the list of active plugins.Affected if The plugin is installed and activated on the WordPress site
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Determine the installed plugin versionIn the plugins list, click on the WP Time Capsule plugin to view its details, noting the version number displayed, or inspect the main plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/backup-and-staging-by-wp-time-capsule/ for the Version tag.Affected if The installed version has not yet received the access control fix (compare your version to the vendor's patched release)
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Confirm the vulnerable function endpoint is accessible to low-privilege usersAttempt to access the download_recent_decrypted_file_wptc function via its AJAX handler or direct URL endpoint while logged in with a subscriber-level account, or inspect the plugin's PHP code for the function and verify role/permission checks.Affected if The function permits access without verifying the user has administrator-level privileges
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Look for evidence of decrypted backup files on the serverSearch the wp-content/backup-wptc/ directory (or the configured backup location) for recently created .sql files in decrypted subdirectories, indicating an administrator previously performed a decrypt operation.Affected if Decrypted SQL backup files exist in the backup directory, meaning the vulnerable download function could have been exploited
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Review access logs for suspicious download activityExamine web server access logs for requests to the download_recent_decrypted_file_wptc endpoint originating from IP addresses or user agents associated with non-administrator accounts.Affected if Requests to the vulnerable endpoint were made by users lacking administrator permissions
A user is affected if the WP Time Capsule plugin is installed, the vulnerable function allows subscriber-level access, and decrypted backup files exist from a prior administrator decrypt operation.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate the plugin to a patched version that restricts the download function to administrator-level users only, and verify no unauthorized access has occurred to the decrypted backup files.
Version 1.22.27 or later of Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule
- Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
- Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
- Locate 'Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule'
- Click 'Update now' if an update is available, or manually update to version 1.22.27 or later
- Verify the plugin version after update to confirm version 1.22.27 or higher is installed
- Review server access logs for any unauthorized access to the download_recent_decrypted_file_wptc endpoint
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-8996 — 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-2026-8996 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
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- 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