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CVE-2026-28171 – Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion – WooCommerce File Approval ≤ 10.7

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Summary

CVE-2026-28171 is an unauthenticated arbitrary file deletion vulnerability affecting the WooCommerce File Approval plugin for WordPress (developed by Vanquish), impacting all versions up to and including 10.7. The flaw stems from improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory (CWE-22, path traversal), allowing remote attackers to delete arbitrary files on the affected server without authentication. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (High).

Technical details

  • Root cause: The plugin fails to properly validate or sanitize file path input before performing file deletion operations, enabling path traversal (CWE-22 / CAPEC-126).
  • Trigger conditions: No authentication or user interaction is required; the vulnerable functionality can be reached directly over the network.
  • Attack vector: Network-based (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N).
  • Impact: Scope is changed (S:C), and the vulnerability results in high impact to availability (A:H) — an attacker can delete arbitrary files outside the intended directory, potentially removing critical WordPress or plugin files and disrupting site availability. The CVSS vector does not indicate confidentiality or integrity impact (C:N/I:N).

Affected software

  • WooCommerce File Approval (WordPress plugin by Vanquish, package woocommerce-file-approval): versions up to and including 10.7
  • Versions after 10.7 are reported as unaffected

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 8.6 (High)
  • Vector String: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade WooCommerce File Approval to a version later than 10.7, which addresses the path traversal / arbitrary file deletion issue.
  • If immediate patching is not possible:
    • Restrict or disable public access to the plugin’s file-handling endpoints via a web application firewall (WAF) rule targeting path traversal patterns (e.g., ../, encoded traversal sequences).
    • Monitor web server and application logs for unexpected file deletion activity or anomalous requests to plugin endpoints.
    • Ensure regular, tested backups of the WordPress installation are in place so that deleted files can be quickly restored if exploitation occurs.
    • Consider temporarily deactivating the plugin if a patched version cannot be deployed promptly.

References

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