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CVE-2026-13001 – Unauthenticated File Upload Leading to RCE – Podlove Podcast Publisher (WordPres…

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Summary

CVE-2026-13001 is a critical unauthenticated arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the Podlove Podcast Publisher WordPress plugin, affecting all versions up to and including 4.5.1. The flaw resides in the plugin’s image cache handling mechanism, where missing file type validation allows unauthenticated remote attackers to upload arbitrary files — including server-executable scripts — to the affected site’s server, making remote code execution (RCE) possible. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: Missing file type validation in the podlove_handle_cache_files function within the plugin’s image cache system. The cache mechanism derived stored file extensions from the request URL path rather than from validated file content, creating an exploitable mismatch between validation and caching logic.
  • Trigger conditions: An attacker crafts a URL designed to pass the plugin’s image validation checks — for example, by appending a benign image file extension as a query parameter (e.g., payload.php?.heic) — while causing the cache to persist the file under an executable extension such as .php. No authentication or user interaction is required.
  • Attack vector: Unauthenticated, remotely exploitable over the network with no special preconditions on the target server beyond running the vulnerable plugin.
  • Impact: Successful exploitation enables an attacker to write an executable file (e.g., a PHP web shell) into the server’s web-accessible cache directory. Once written, the file can be triggered via a subsequent HTTP request, yielding arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the web server process — resulting in full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the affected host.

Affected software

  • Podlove Podcast Publisher (WordPress Plugin) — all versions up to and including 4.5.1

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector string: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Update the Podlove Podcast Publisher plugin to version 4.5.2 or later. Version 4.5.2 contains the vendor-provided security fix, which enforces strict separation between URL-derived paths and cache file extensions — extensions are now derived exclusively from validated image file content and checked against an allowlist of safe image extensions.
  • If immediate patching is not feasible: Consider temporarily deactivating the plugin and applying web server-level restrictions on write permissions to the plugin’s image cache directory as an interim measure until the update can be applied.

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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