CVE-2026-9200
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 Query Shortcode plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 0.2.1 via the shortcode function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-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 confidenceThe Query Shortcode WordPress plugin is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion (LFI) in versions up to 0.2.1 via its shortcode function. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can manipulate shortcode parameters to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, achieving arbitrary PHP code execution.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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.
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Confirm Query Shortcode plugin is installedLog into WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, and look for 'Query Shortcode' in the list. Alternatively, check if the directory /wp-content/plugins/query-shortcode/ exists on the server.Affected if The plugin is present in the WordPress installation
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Identify the installed plugin versionIn WordPress admin Plugins page, click on the plugin name to view details, or read the 'Version' field in the plugins list. Alternatively, open the main plugin file (usually query-shortcode.php) in /wp-content/plugins/query-shortcode/ and look for the 'Version' comment header.Affected if The version listed is 0.2.1 or any version number lower than 0.2.1
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Determine if the shortcode is actively usedSearch the WordPress database for shortcode usage by querying wp_posts table for content containing '[query_shortcode' or the specific shortcode tag used by this plugin, or use a plugin scanner to list all active shortcodes.Affected if The shortcode is present in any post, page, or widget content (indicating the vulnerable feature is reachable)
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Verify contributor-level or higher user accounts existIn WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and review the roles assigned. Check if any accounts have 'Contributor', 'Author', 'Editor', or 'Administrator' roles.Affected if There are user accounts with contributor-level access or higher, providing potential attack vectors
You are affected if the Query Shortcode plugin is installed with version 0.2.1 or lower and the shortcode functionality is accessible to users with contributor-level access or higher.
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 dataUpdate the Query Shortcode plugin to a version beyond 0.2.1 when available. Until an update is released, deactivate the plugin. As defense-in-depth, disable PHP execution in upload directories and review server file permissions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-9200 — 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-2026-9200 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