CVE-2026-9145
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 Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Copy via the create_entry_el() function in versions up to, and including, 1.5.1. The function reads raw_value from Elementor Pro's Form_Record object for upload-type fields and passes it directly to PHP's copy() without validating that the value corresponds to a legitimately uploaded file — when no file is present in $_FILES, raw_value reflects the attacker-controlled POST string. copy() accepts both local filesystem paths and URL sources, so the attacker can target any file readable by the PHP process or supply an attacker-controlled remote URL. Elementor Pro is a prerequisite for triggering the code path (it owns the elementor_pro/forms/new_record hook and populates the Form_Record object), but the bug itself is entirely in Contact Form Entries' handler. This could allow unauthenticated attackers to disclose arbitrary files on the affected site's server. The file is copied to a directory unknown to the attacker; the hashed directory name provides defense-in-depth but is generated from non-cryptographic sources (uniqid() + rand()) and should not be relied upon as the primary mitigation.
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 Contact Form Entries plugin for WordPress has an arbitrary file copy vulnerability in version 1.5.1 and below. The create_entry_el() function reads raw_value from Elementor Pro's Form_Record object for upload fields and passes it directly to PHP's copy() without validating that it corresponds to a legitimately uploaded file. When no file exists in $_FILES, raw_value reflects attacker-controlled POST data, allowing reading any file the PHP process can access or pulling files from remote URLs.
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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/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 Contact Form Entries plugin is installedNavigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and confirm 'Contact Form Entries' plugin is active, then check the version number in the plugin detailsAffected if Plugin version is 1.5.1 or lower
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Confirm Elementor Pro is installedCheck WordPress plugins page for Elementor Pro plugin, or check if Elementor Pro license is activeAffected if Elementor Pro is installed and the Contact Form Entries plugin is used with Elementor Pro forms
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Identify if upload fields are configured in formsReview Contact Form Entries settings and any Elementor Pro form widgets that include file upload fields. Check if $_FILES handling is properly validated in any custom codeAffected if File upload fields exist in forms and raw_value from Form_Record can be passed directly to PHP copy() without $_FILES validation
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Inspect for unexpected files in writable directoriesCheck wp-content/uploads/ and other writable directories for newly created files that were not intentionally uploaded through the form, or files with suspicious extensions from remote URLsAffected if Files exist that were not legitimately uploaded or files copied from arbitrary locations accessible to the PHP process
A user is affected if they have Contact Form Entries version 1.5.1 or below AND use Elementor Pro with file upload forms, allowing attackers to copy arbitrary files via the vulnerable copy() call.
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 · scopedValidate that raw_value corresponds to a genuine uploaded file by checking $_FILES before passing to copy(); implement proper file upload path validation and restrict copy() to only use paths within expected upload directories. Update to patched version when available.
1.5.2
- Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
- Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
- Locate 'Contact Form Entries' (also known as 'Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms')
- Click 'Update now' if an update is available, or click 'Delete' and reinstall the current version after downloading the latest version from wordpress.org
- After updating, verify the plugin version is 1.5.2 or later in Plugins > Installed Plugins
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-9145 — 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-2026-9145 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