WordPress security changelog
MEDIUM CVE-2026-4853 Deferred

JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate: Filesystem traversal

JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate is affected by filesystem traversal. Exploitation requires at least administrator-level access. A crafted path can escape the intended directory and reach files or directories elsewhere on the server. The published affected range is <= 3.1.19.8.

CVE / CNA score 4.9 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate
Plugin slug
backup
Affected
<= 3.1.19.8
Safe version
> 3.1.19.8
Published
Apr 17, 2026
Weakness
CWE-22 — Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

This CVE was published Apr 17, 2026 and is one of 4 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

Update JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate to a release after 3.1.19.8, or disable and remove it until a fixed version is available.

A safe version is available, so updating to that version or later is the preferred remediation. If an immediate update is not practical, consider a targeted application patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality.

Deactivate only when warranted by your risk profile, or when advised by your hosting provider in the limited circumstances where the vulnerability cannot otherwise be mitigated. If you’re unsure which action is appropriate, contact Fused or your hosting provider for guidance.

Source record

Technical description

The JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal leading to Arbitrary Directory Deletion in versions up to and including 3.1.19.8. This is due to insufficient input validation on the fileName parameter in the file upload handler. The plugin sanitizes the fileName parameter using sanitize_text_field(), which removes HTML tags but does not prevent path traversal sequences like '../'. The unsanitized filename is then directly concatenated in Upload::getFileLocation() without using basename() or validating the resolved path stays within the intended directory. When an invalid file is uploaded, the cleanup logic calls dirname() on the traversed path and passes it to Util::rm(), which recursively deletes the entire resolved directory. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrator-level access to traverse outside the intended upload directory and trigger deletion of critical WordPress directories such as wp-content/plugins, effectively disabling all installed plugins and causing severe site disruption.

CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

References

Primary and upstream sources