CVE Intelligence
High File handling

CVE-2026-15450 — NEX-Forms <= 9.2.3 - Authenticated (Admin+) Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal via 'location' Parameter

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.

Published Aug 1, 2026 · Updated Oct 16, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: Wordfence

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.6% (30-day exploitation probability)+7
  • Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.58%
ahead of 47% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026
Affects
Webaways
NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress
CVSS base
8.1
High · 2 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Webaways NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Webaways NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress ≤ 9.2.3 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
8.1 CVSS 3.1 High 2.8 5.2 security@wordfence.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.1 CVSS 3.1 High — — Wordfence via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: security@wordfence.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-22 · Path Traversal

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSfile integrity (FIM)endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · webaways/nex-forms – ultimate forms plugin for wordpress
    Oct 16, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 16, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 15, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 8.1
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Deferred
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Aug 1, 2026 · Wordfence

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

5 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Webaways
every CVE for this vendor
File handling
same class
CWE-22
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-75961 NEX-Forms <= 9.3.0 - Authenticated (Administrator+) SQL Injection via 'operator' Key of the 'additional_params' Parameter 27d
  • CVE-2026-15602 NEX-Forms <= 9.2.4 - Authenticated (Admin+) SQL Injection via 'additional_params' Parameter Aug 16, 2026
  • CVE-2026-9017 NEX-Forms <= 9.2.2 - Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Arbitrary Form Entry Modification via nf_send_nf_email AJAX Action Jul 11, 2026
  • CVE-2026-13040 NEX-Forms <= 9.2.2 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'real_val__' Parameter Jul 3, 2026
  • CVE-2026-12142 NEX-Forms <= 9.2.2 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via '_name[]' Array Parameter Jul 1, 2026
  • CVE-2026-12404 NEX-Forms <= 9.2.2 - Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Disclosure via CSVExport Class Jun 27, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-15450 is "NEX-Forms <= 9.2.3 - Authenticated (Admin+) Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal via 'location' Parameter", rated High. It affects NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress (Webaways); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.58% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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