pCloud WP Backup <= 2.0.3 - Missing Authorization on the 'start_backup' AJAX Method to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary File Read
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.0.4
- Affected Plugin
- pCloud WP Backup
- Affected Version
<= 2.0.3- CVSS
- 6.5Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
- CVE
CVE-2026-14503
At a glance
CVE-2026-14503 is a medium-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in the pCloud WP Backup WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.0.3. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.0.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2026, reported by Civitasmass.
Vulnerability Overview
The pCloud WP Backup plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.3 via the wp2pcl_ajax_process_request_inner. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to extract force generation of a full-site backup archive written to a publicly accessible directory, exposing wp-config.php database credentials, WordPress secret salts, and the complete PHP source tree. The resulting archive is deposited in the plugin's unprotected tmp/ directory at a predictable URL, making the extracted data accessible to unauthenticated visitors once the backup is triggered.
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 confidentiality.
CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Reaching this weakness in pCloud WP Backup <= 2.0.3 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Sensitive information exposure means data the application intended to keep internal is returned to a caller who should not be able to see it.
The disclosed data — credentials, tokens, customer records or internal paths — is usually worth more as material for a follow-up attack than as an end in itself. For pCloud WP Backup the fix is 2.0.4: builds <= 2.0.3 are affected, anything from 2.0.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.0.4, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The fix is the thing that ends this: pCloud WP Backup 2.0.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in pCloud WP Backup
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