CVE-2026-9843
HIGH · 8.1Real vulnerability with patch; no PoC/KEV/exploitation signal yet; mostly advisory republication.
What: Arbitrary file deletion in Database for Contact Form 7 / WPforms / Elementor forms WordPress plugins (versions ≤1.5.1) due to insufficient path validation; CVSS 8.1 HIGH. Unauthenticated attackers can delete critical files (e.g., wp-config.php) when an admin views a poisoned form entry, leading to RCE.
Why it matters: Published today; affects 70,000+ WordPress sites. Exploitation requires admin interaction but is reliable once triggered. No KEV listing yet, but CVSS 8.1 and widespread plugin deployment make this immediately actionable for defenders. Vendors (Elementor, WPforms) appear responsive with 1.5.2 patch available.
Where it's seen: Social posts are rapid CVE republication (NVD/vendor advisory mirrors) with no public PoC drops, no in-the-wild exploitation reports, and no defender triage questions yet—early-stage awareness only.
RISK: HIGH — Widespread plugin, unauthenticated trigger path, RCE consequence; remediation available immediately.
Description
The 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.
CVSS 3.1 breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Weaknesses
References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/contact-form-entries/tags/1.5.1/contact-form-entries.php#L435
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/contact-form-entries/tags/1.5.1/contact-form-entries.php#L747
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/contact-form-entries/tags/1.5.1/includes/data.php#L539
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/contact-form-entries/tags/1.5.1/includes/plugin-pages.php#L1197
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/contact-form-entries/tags/1.5.1/templates/view.php#L559
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3578556/contact-form-entries
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/4169b390-0972-4aa9-ae04-f5f67afe15ef?source=cve