dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-9282

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-11
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 6 weeks old

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 W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.9.4 via the setupSources function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. Exploitation requires enabling manual minify mode and supplying a manual-format minify filename so that the hash is empty and the f_array[] entries are not overwritten before reaching setupSources().

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 W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress contains a directory traversal vulnerability in the setupSources function affecting all versions up to 2.9.4. Unauthenticated attackers can read arbitrary files on the server by enabling manual minify mode and supplying a manual-format minify filename that results in an empty hash, allowing the f_array[] entries to pass unreplaced to setupSources().

MitigationUpgrade W3 Total Cache to version 2.9.5 or later. As a workaround, disable manual minify mode if unable to upgrade immediately.

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 W3 Total Cache is installed
    Check the WordPress plugins directory or the site's plugin list for W3 Total Cache. In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'W3 Total Cache'.
    Affected if W3 Total Cache plugin is present on the WordPress site
  2. Identify the installed version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and click on 'W3 Total Cache' to view the version number. Alternatively, check the main plugin file header in /wp-content/plugins/w3-total-cache/ for the 'Version' field.
    Affected if Version is 2.9.4 or lower (any version up to and including 2.9.4)
  3. Check if manual minify mode is enabled
    Navigate to Performance > Minify in the W3 Total Cache settings. Look for the 'Minify mode' setting and check whether 'Manual' is selected. This setting controls how minify files are specified.
    Affected if Manual minify mode is selected and active in the Minify settings

A site is affected if W3 Total Cache version 2.9.4 or lower is installed AND manual minify mode is enabled, allowing unauthenticated directory traversal via the minify filename 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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade W3 Total Cache to version 2.9.5 or later. As a workaround, disable manual minify mode if unable to upgrade immediately.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

W3 Total Cache version higher than 2.9.4 (latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of W3 Total Cache plugin in your WordPress installation
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. If W3 Total Cache version is 2.9.4 or lower, update the plugin to the latest available version
  4. 4. After updating, verify the new version number in the plugins list
  5. 5. Test that the W3 Total Cache functionality works correctly after the update
  6. 6. Ensure manual minify mode is reviewed and properly configured if it was previously enabled
Caveat Review minify settings after upgrade as configuration may need adjustment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2026-9282 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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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