Export User Data <= 2.2.6 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) PHP Object Injection to Arbitrary File Deletion via display_name Field
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Plugin
- Export User Data
- Affected Version
<= 2.2.6- CVSS
- 8.0High
- Weakness type
- CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
- CVE
CVE-2026-12240
At a glance
CVE-2026-12240 is a high-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in the Export User Data WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.2.6. It carries a CVSS score of 8.0 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed June 2026, reported by Webbernaut.
Vulnerability Overview
The Export User Data plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the unserialize function in all versions up to, and including, 2.2.6. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php). Successful exploitation requires an administrator to trigger a user data export while a subscriber-level (or higher) user has stored a crafted serialized XLSXWriter object payload as their display name.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.
CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Reaching this weakness in Export User Data <= 2.2.6 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Deserialization of untrusted data means the application reconstructs objects from input a caller controls, letting the attacker choose which classes get instantiated and what their properties hold.
A workable chain turns deserialization into file writes, deletions or code execution, depending on what the loaded classes do in their magic methods. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for Export User Data yet, so installs running <= 2.2.6 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
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. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Firewall
- Scanner
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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