BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin: Filesystem traversal

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin is affected by filesystem traversal. Exploitation requires an authenticated administrator account. A crafted path can escape the intended directory and reach files or directories elsewhere on the server. The published affected range is <= 5.6.6.

CVE / CNA score 7.2 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com

NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.

Component: BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin
Plugin slug: backwpup
Affected: <= 5.6.6
Safe version: See mitigation notes
Published: Apr 14, 2026
Weakness: CWE-22 — Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

This CVE was published Apr 14, 2026 and is one of 12 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

No fixed release is identified. Update BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin when a release after 5.6.6 becomes available; until then, disable and remove it when the site's risk warrants. The official upstream changelog lists version 5.7.6, which is newer than the published affected range. Its changelog does not clearly confirm this specific fix, so it is not counted as a known-safe release.

No confirmed safe version is listed. Consider a vendor-supported patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality while you assess the risk.

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 BackWPup plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion via the `block_name` parameter of the `/wp-json/backwpup/v1/getblock` REST endpoint in all versions up to, and including, 5.6.6 due to a non-recursive `str_replace()` sanitization of path traversal sequences. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to include arbitrary PHP files on the server via crafted traversal sequences (e.g., `....//`), which can be leveraged to read sensitive files such as `wp-config.php` or achieve remote code execution in certain configurations. Administrators have the ability to grant individual users permission to handle backups, which may then allow lower-level users to exploit this vulnerability.

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

References

Primary and upstream sources

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