CVE-2026-109221

Groundhogg <= 4.9.3 - Authenticated (Sales Representative+) Arbitrary File Deletion via CSV Import 'copy_file' Field Mapping

2026-10-15 15:47
Supakiad S. (m3ez)

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 4.9.4
Affected Plugin
Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation
Affected Version
<= 4.9.3
CVSS
8.1High
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2026-109221
View all Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-109221 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Groundhogg WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.9.3. It carries a CVSS score of 8.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Sales Representative level or above. The issue is fixed in version 4.9.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2026, reported by Supakiad S. (m3ez).

Vulnerability Overview

The Groundhogg — CRM, Newsletters, and Marketing Automation plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the copy_file function in all versions up to, and including, 4.9.3 This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Sales Representative-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). This is exploitable by any user holding the plugin-defined import_contacts capability, which is granted by default to the plugin's custom Sales Representative role.

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 integrity, availability.

CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Reaching this weakness in Groundhogg <= 4.9.3 takes an account at Sales Representative 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 Groundhogg the fix is 4.9.4: builds <= 4.9.3 are affected, anything from 4.9.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.9.4, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Sales Representative 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: Groundhogg 4.9.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-109221https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/fb5100ac-cfe6-4e91-9349-6e8efa850147https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-109221

Related records

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