CVE-2026-3243
Published: 08 April 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-3243 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 47.9% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 CM-5 (Access Restrictions for Change) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-3243 is an arbitrary file deletion vulnerability in the Advanced Members for ACF plugin for WordPress, caused by insufficient file path validation in the create_crop function. It affects all versions up to and including 1.2.5. The issue, published on 2026-04-08, carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and maps to CWE-22.
Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can exploit the vulnerability over the network with low complexity. By targeting the flawed validation, they can delete arbitrary files on the server, potentially leading to remote code execution—for instance, by deleting critical files like wp-config.php.
The vulnerability was partially patched in version 1.2.5, as indicated by changesets in the plugin's Trac repository. References include code locations such as class-avatar.php lines 266 and 57 in tag 1.2.4, line 710 in trunk, and patch details in changesets 3479725 and 3492372.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-20451
Vulnerability details
The Advanced Members for ACF plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the create_crop function in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.5. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with…
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Subscriber-level access and above, 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). The vulnerability was partially patched in version 1.2.5.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Vulnerability in public-facing WordPress plugin enables low-privilege authenticated exploitation (T1190) for arbitrary file deletion (T1070.004), facilitating privilege escalation via software vuln (T1068).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires information input validation at system entry points, directly preventing path traversal exploits due to insufficient file path validation in the plugin's create_crop function.
Mandates timely identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like this arbitrary file deletion vulnerability through patching the affected plugin versions.
Restricts access to changes such as file deletions on system components, preventing authenticated low-privilege users from deleting arbitrary files like wp-config.php.