Advanced Database Cleaner – Premium <= 4.1.0 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Local File Inclusion via 'template'
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 4.1.1
- Affected Plugin
- Advanced Database Cleaner – Premium
- Affected Version
<= 4.1.0- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-98 · Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
- CVE
CVE-2026-7522
At a glance
CVE-2026-7522 is a high-severity Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in the Advanced Database Cleaner WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.1.0. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 4.1.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2026, reported by Nguyen Ngoc Duc (duc193).
Vulnerability Overview
The Advanced Database Cleaner – Premium plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in versions up to, and including, 4.1.0 via the 'template' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where .php file types can be uploaded and included.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-98: Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
Advanced Database Cleaner <= 4.1.0 carries this weakness at template, and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. PHP file inclusion means a path used by include or require is built from request data, so the file that gets executed is under the caller's influence.
Including an attacker-influenced file executes its contents, which is why this class is routinely chained with an upload or log-poisoning step to reach code execution. For Advanced Database Cleaner the fix is 4.1.1: builds <= 4.1.0 are affected, anything from 4.1.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 4.1.1, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Subscriber access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Advanced Database Cleaner 4.1.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Scanner
- Alerts
External References
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