CVE-2026-9843
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 deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the view_page function in all versions up to, and including, 1.5.1. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php). Successful exploitation requires an administrator to view or edit the poisoned form entry, at which point PHP's bracket parser reshapes the attacker-crafted JSON key to bypass the stored-path isset check and trigger deletion of the traversal-specified file.
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 · moderate confidenceA WordPress forms database plugin (versions up to 1.5.1) contains an arbitrary file deletion vulnerability in the view_page function. Unauthenticated attackers inject malicious file paths into form entries; when an administrator views or edits the poisoned entry, PHP's bracket parser reshapes the attacker-crafted JSON key to bypass the isset check, allowing path traversal deletion of arbitrary files including wp-config.php.
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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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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Identify the vulnerable pluginReview installed WordPress plugins and identify any that handle form submissions with a view_page function. Since the plugin name is not specified in the CVE, cross-reference your plugins against the vulnerability disclosure source.Affected if The plugin with the view_page function that lacks path validation is installed.
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Check plugin versionNavigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins and compare your plugin version against the latest version available from the vendor or plugin repository.Affected if The installed version is older than the patched version (when patch becomes available).
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Inspect the view_page function codeIf you have file system access, locate the plugin directory (typically wp-content/plugins/) and search for the view_page function. Examine it for missing file path validation on form entry data.Affected if The view_page function processes form input without validating file paths, allowing directory traversal in JSON keys.
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Review form submission handlingExamine how the plugin handles form submissions. Look for code that stores form data as JSON keys without sanitizing paths like ../../../wp-config.php.Affected if Form entries are stored with unsanitized path-like JSON keys.
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Check for exploitation indicatorsInspect the WordPress root directory for missing or deleted critical files, particularly wp-config.php, .htaccess, or other configuration files. Also check file timestamps for unexpected modifications.Affected if Critical files have been deleted or modified unexpectedly, or wp-config.php is missing.
You are affected if the vulnerable plugin with the flawed view_page function is installed and processing form entries, or if critical WordPress files have been deleted.
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 to version 1.5.2 or later if available; otherwise disable the plugin until a patch is released. Consider WAF rules blocking directory traversal patterns in form submissions.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-9843 — 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-2026-9843 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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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.
- 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