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CVE-2026-12997 – Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read – Gravity Forms WordPress Plugin ≤ 2.10.4

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Summary

CVE-2026-12997 is a high-severity Directory Traversal vulnerability in the Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 2.10.4. An unauthenticated remote attacker can supply a malicious file path via the gform_uploaded_files parameter at the process_send_resume_link endpoint to read arbitrary files from the server, with the retrieved file contents delivered as an email attachment to an attacker-controlled address. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5 (HIGH) and requires no authentication or user interaction to exploit.

Technical details

  • Root cause: Insufficient validation of the gform_uploaded_files parameter in the process_send_resume_link endpoint allows an attacker to supply path traversal sequences to break out of the intended upload directory and reference arbitrary server-side files.
  • Trigger conditions: The targeted Gravity Forms form must not enforce login — i.e., it must be publicly accessible. This is the standard configuration for contact forms, job application forms, and support ticket forms, which constitute the primary use case of the plugin.
  • Attack vector: Unauthenticated HTTP POST request to the process_send_resume_link endpoint with a crafted gform_uploaded_files value pointing to an arbitrary file path. The attacker also supplies a recipient email address, causing the server to send the retrieved file as a notification attachment to an address under attacker control.
  • Impact: Arbitrary read of any file accessible to the web server process — including sensitive targets such as wp-config.php (containing database credentials), /etc/passwd, private keys, and application configuration files. Impact is limited to confidentiality (no integrity or availability impact).

Affected software

  • Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress — all versions up to and including 2.10.4

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 7.5 (HIGH)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate action — patch: Upgrade Gravity Forms to version 2.10.5 or later, which was released on 2026-06-30 and contains security enhancements addressing this class of vulnerability.
  • If immediate patching is not possible:
    • Restrict public access to forms that use the Resume Link / Send Link feature, or require user authentication on any form that leverages the process_send_resume_link endpoint.
    • Apply web application firewall (WAF) rules to block requests containing path traversal sequences in POST body parameters targeting Gravity Forms endpoints.
    • Review server-side file permissions to limit the files readable by the web server process to the minimum necessary.

IONIX Status

The IONIX research team is tracking ongoing exploitation attempts and recommends immediate patching. Potentially affected assets are outlined in this post.

References

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