WordPress security changelog
HIGH CVE-2026-16585 Deferred

Better Messages sticker deletion permits administrator-level arbitrary file deletion

Better Messages through 2.15.19 lets an Administrator store a sticker file URL containing ../ traversal through normalize_sticker(), which applies esc_url_raw() but does not remove traversal segments. A DELETE request to /wp-json/better-messages/v1/admin/sticker-packs/{id}/stickers/{sticker_id} reaches delete_sticker(); its uploads-URL prefix test passes before the relative path is URL-decoded and appended to the uploads directory, after which unlink() deletes the resolved target. This can remove arbitrary files readable by the hosting account and may lead to denial of service or code execution depending on the file removed.

CVE / CNA score 7.2 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots
Plugin slug
bp-better-messages
Affected
<= 2.15.19
Safe version
> 2.15.19
Published
Jul 28, 2026
Weakness
CWE-22 — Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

This CVE was published Jul 28, 2026 and is one of 11 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

Update Better Messages to a release newer than 2.15.19. The CNA record identifies the affected boundary but does not name a fixed tag; current upstream code canonicalizes the path and confines deletion to the sticker uploads directory. Review Administrator activity and restore any unexpectedly deleted application or configuration files.

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 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the delete_sticker function in all versions up to, and including, 2.15.19. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php). The prefix check intended to restrict deletion to the uploads directory can be bypassed by crafting a URL that begins with the legitimate uploads base URL but embeds ../ traversal sequences in the path portion, as the normalize_sticker function only applies esc_url_raw(), which does not strip ../ sequences, allowing the traversal payload to be stored verbatim in WordPress options.

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