WordPress <= 6.9.1 - Authenticated (Author+) XML External Entity Injection via getID3 Library Media Upload

2026-03-10 00:00
Youssef Achtatal

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 6.8.4
Affected CoreWordPress 6.9
Affected Version6.8 – 6.9.1 · 2 branches
CVSS6.5Medium
CVEN/A
View all WordPress 6.9 vulnerabilities

Vulnerability Overview

WordPress core is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) Injection via the bundled getID3 library in all versions up to and including 6.9.1. This is due to the `GETID3_LIBXML_OPTIONS` constant including the `LIBXML_NOENT` flag, which enables XML entity substitution during parsing. When WordPress processes media files containing XML metadata (specifically iXML chunks in WAV/RIFF/AVI files), the getID3 library parses the XML with entity substitution enabled, allowing local file disclosure via `file://` protocol URIs. This may make it possible for authenticated attackers with Author-level access to read arbitrary files from the server.

Technical Analysis

REMEDIATION: Update to one of the following versions, or a newer patched version: 6.8.4, 6.9.2 --- IDENTIFIER: CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.

External References

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C