WordPress security changelog
HIGH CVE-2026-9834 Deferred

WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP: Code execution

WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP is affected by code execution. Exploitation requires at least administrator-level access. Successful exploitation can run attacker-controlled code in the WordPress hosting account. The published affected range is <= 7.11.

CVE / CNA score 7.2 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP
Plugin slug
wp-database-backup
Affected
<= 7.11
Safe version
> 7.11
Published
Jul 02, 2026
Weakness
CWE-77 — Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')

This CVE was published Jul 02, 2026 and is one of 9 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

Update WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP to a release after 7.11, 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 WP Database Backup – Unlimited Database & Files Backup by Backup for WP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to OS Command Injection in all versions up to and including 7.11 via the `wp_db_exclude_table` parameter. This is due to the direct concatenation of user-supplied `$_POST['wp_db_exclude_table']` values into the `mysqldump` shell command string in the `mysqldump()` function of `includes/admin/class-wpdb-admin.php` without wrapping them in `escapeshellarg()`—every other argument in the same command (DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, host, filename, DB_NAME) is properly escaped, making the exclude-table values the sole exception—and because the only applied filtering, `sanitize_text_field()` via `recursive_sanitize_text_field()`, strips HTML tags but leaves shell metacharacters such as `;`, `|`, `` ` ``, and `$()` intact. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the server, potentially enabling full remote code execution. The injection is stored: malicious values submitted through the plugin settings form are persisted to the WordPress options table via `update_option('wp_db_exclude_table')` and later retrieved with `get_option()` and passed unsanitized to `shell_exec()` whenever a backup operation runs.

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