NEX-Forms <= 9.2.3 - Authenticated (Admin+) Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal via 'location' Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 9.2.4
- Affected Plugin
- NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress
- Affected Version
<= 9.2.3- CVSS
- 8.1High
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2026-15450
At a glance
CVE-2026-15450 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the NEX-Forms WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 9.2.3. 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 Admin level or above. The issue is fixed in version 9.2.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2026, reported by Wordfence PRISM.
Vulnerability Overview
The Nex Forms – Ultimate Form Builder – Lite plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion via path traversal in versions up to, and including, 9.2.3. This is due to the delete_file() AJAX handler retrieving a file path from the database and passing it directly to unlink() with no validation (no realpath(), basename(), or allowlist check), combined with the insert_record() AJAX handler that lets the same authenticated user store an arbitrary value in the target 'location' column (wp_kses() only strips HTML tags and does not neutralize path traversal or absolute paths). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with admin-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the affected site's server, including wp-config. When the plugin's user-level option is configured to something else, this may be exploitable with lower privileges.
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')
NEX-Forms <= 9.2.3 carries this weakness at location, and reaching it takes an account at Admin 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 NEX-Forms the fix is 9.2.4: builds <= 9.2.3 are affected, anything from 9.2.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 9.2.4, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Admin 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: NEX-Forms 9.2.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress
- 9.8CVE-2015-9452: NEX-Forms – Ultimate Form Builder < 4.6.1 SQL Injection
CVE-2015-9452 - 9.8NEX-Forms SQL Injection
- 8.8CVE-2021-24705: NEX-Forms CSRF to Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2021-24705 - 7.5CVE-2026-1947: NEX-Forms Unauthenticated Arbitrary Form Entry
CVE-2026-1947 - 7.2CVE-2026-57668: NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms for WordPress Stored XSS
CVE-2026-57668 - 7.2CVE-2026-13040: NEX-Forms <= 9.2.2 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2026-13040 - 7.2CVE-2026-12142: NEX-Forms <= 9.2.2 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2026-12142 - 7.2CVE-2026-10525: NEX-Forms <= 9.2.2 Stored Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2026-10525
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C