Media folder Addon <= 4.0.1 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Download
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 4.0.2
- Affected Plugin
- Media folder Addon
- Affected Version
<= 4.0.1- CVSS
- 9.1Critical
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2026-9690
At a glance
CVE-2026-9690 is a critical-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Media folder Addon WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.0.1. It carries a CVSS score of 9.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 4.0.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2026, reported by 0xd4rk5id3.
Vulnerability Overview
The Media folder Addon plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 4.0.1. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information.
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 privileges on the target site, 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 Media folder Addon <= 4.0.1 takes no account at all. 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 Media folder Addon the fix is 4.0.2: builds <= 4.0.1 are affected, anything from 4.0.2 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 4.0.2, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Media folder Addon 4.0.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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