Formidable Charts <= 2.0.1 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read via 'frm_graph' Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.0.2
- Affected Plugin
- Formidable Charts
- Affected Version
<= 2.0.1- CVSS
- 7.5High
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2026-15990
At a glance
CVE-2026-15990 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Formidable Charts WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.0.1. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.0.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2026, reported by Rafie Muhammad.
Vulnerability Overview
The Formidable Charts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.1 via the 'frm_graph' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. Successful exploitation requires Formidable Forms Lite, Formidable Forms Pro, and Formidable Charts to be active and requires the wp-content/uploads/frm-charts/ directory to exist, normally after an image-format chart is rendered.
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 privileges on the target site, 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')
Formidable Charts <= 2.0.1 carries this weakness at frm_graph, and reaching it takes no account at all. 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 Formidable Charts the fix is 2.0.2: builds <= 2.0.1 are affected, anything from 2.0.2 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.0.2, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Formidable Charts 2.0.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C