WP Encryption <= 7.8.6.6 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Arbitrary File Write via 'imploded' Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 7.8.6.7
- Affected Plugin
- WP Encryption – One Click SSL / HTTPS & Free SSL Certificate, HTTPS Redirect, Security
- Affected Version
<= 7.8.6.6- CVSS
- 4.4Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2026-15786
At a glance
CVE-2026-15786 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the WP Encryption WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 7.8.6.6. It carries a CVSS score of 4.4 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Administrator level or above. The issue is fixed in version 7.8.6.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2026, reported by Wordfence PRISM.
Vulnerability Overview
The WP Encryption – One Click Free SSL Certificate & SSL / HTTPS Redirect, Security & SSL Scan plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 7.8.6.6 via the 'imploded' parameter parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. Although file write content is passed through esc_html(), which encodes angle brackets and prevents direct PHP execution, plaintext configuration files such as .htaccess are fully writable and exploitable for denial-of-service or redirect attacks. This is only exploitable when the premium version of the software is enabled and active.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, 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')
WP Encryption <= 7.8.6.6 carries this weakness at imploded, and reaching it takes an account at Administrator 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 WP Encryption the fix is 7.8.6.7: builds <= 7.8.6.6 are affected, anything from 7.8.6.7 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 7.8.6.7, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Administrator 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: WP Encryption 7.8.6.7 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in WP Encryption – One Click SSL / HTTPS & Free SSL Certificate, HTTPS Redirect, Security
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C