Ninja Forms - Excel Export <= 3.3.6 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) XLS Write via Path Traversal
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 3.3.7
- Affected Plugin
- Ninja Forms - Excel Export
- Affected Version
<= 3.3.6- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2026-15160
At a glance
CVE-2026-15160 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Ninja Forms - Excel Export WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.3.6. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 3.3.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2026, reported by Chu Thao Mai.
Vulnerability Overview
The Ninja Forms - Excel Export plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.6 via the 'spreadsheet_export_tmp_name' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to write .xls/.xlsx files to arbitrary locations on the server, which can be used to stage further attacks.
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.
CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Ninja Forms - Excel Export <= 3.3.6 carries this weakness at spreadsheet_export_tmp_name, and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber 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 Ninja Forms - Excel Export the fix is 3.3.7: builds <= 3.3.6 are affected, anything from 3.3.7 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 3.3.7, or a newer patched version
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. None of that substitutes for the fix: Ninja Forms - Excel Export 3.3.7 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Ninja Forms - Excel Export
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