EmailKit <= 1.6.3 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Path Traversal via 'emailkit-editor-template' REST API Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.6.4
- Affected Plugin
- EmailKit – Email Customizer for WooCommerce & WP
- Affected Version
<= 1.6.3- CVSS
- 4.9Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2026-3474
At a glance
CVE-2026-3474 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the EmailKit WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.6.3. It carries a CVSS score of 4.9 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Administrator level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.6.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2026, reported by Chiao-Lin Yu (Steven Meow).
Vulnerability Overview
The EmailKit – Email Customizer for WooCommerce & WP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file read via path traversal in all versions up to, and including, 1.6.3. This is due to the action() function in the TemplateData class passing user-supplied input from the 'emailkit-editor-template' REST API parameter directly to file_get_contents() without any path validation, sanitization, or restriction to an allowed directory. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access, to read arbitrary files on the server (such as /etc/passwd or wp-config.php) by supplying a traversal path. The file contents are stored as post meta and can subsequently be retrieved via the fetch-data REST API endpoint. Notably, the CheckForm class in the same plugin implements proper path validation using realpath() and directory restriction, demonstrating that the developer was aware of the risk but failed to apply the same protections to the TemplateData endpoint.
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.
CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
EmailKit <= 1.6.3 carries this weakness at emailkit-editor-template, and reaching it takes an account at Administrator level or above. Path traversal happens when user-controlled text is used to build a filesystem path without being constrained to an intended directory, so sequences like ../ walk the resolved path somewhere else.
Depending on the operation, it means reading files outside the intended folder — wp-config.php being the usual target — or writing to and deleting paths the web server can touch. For EmailKit the fix is 1.6.4: builds <= 1.6.3 are affected, anything from 1.6.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.6.4, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Administrator 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. None of that substitutes for the fix: EmailKit 1.6.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in EmailKit – Email Customizer for WooCommerce & WP
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