Executive Summary

CVE-2026-28039 is a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the WordPress wpDataTables plugin versions up to and including 6.5.0.1. It occurs due to improper control of filenames used in include or require statements in PHP, allowing an attacker to include and display local files from the target website.

Exploitation requires user interaction by a privileged user, such as clicking a malicious link, visiting a crafted page, or submitting a form. The vulnerability falls under the OWASP Top 10 category A3: Injection and has a high severity CVSS score of 7.5.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow an attacker to include and display sensitive local files from the affected website, potentially exposing critical information such as database credentials.

Successful exploitation depends on privileged user interaction, which means an attacker might trick a privileged user into performing an action that triggers the vulnerability.

The impact is significant as it can lead to information disclosure and further compromise of the website or server.

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Compliance Impact

I don't know

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Detection Guidance

[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'This vulnerability allows an attacker to include and display local files from the target website by exploiting improper control of filename in include/require statements in the wpDataTables plugin.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Detection can involve monitoring for suspicious HTTP requests that attempt to include local files via crafted URLs or form submissions targeting the wpDataTables plugin.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Since no official patch is available, applying mitigation rules from Patchstack is recommended to block attack attempts.'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Use web server logs or intrusion detection systems (IDS) to look for requests containing suspicious parameters that may attempt local file inclusion.'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Example command to search web server logs for suspicious inclusion attempts (assuming Apache logs):'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'grep -iE "(\\.|%2e){2,}" /var/log/apache2/access.log | grep wpdatatables'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'This command looks for directory traversal patterns (e.g., ../) in requests related to wpDataTables.'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Use tools like curl or Burp Suite to simulate requests with crafted parameters to test if the system is vulnerable.'}] [1]

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Mitigation Strategies

Since no official patch is currently available for this vulnerability, immediate mitigation involves applying the Patchstack mitigation rule designed to block attacks targeting this issue.

Users should apply this mitigation immediately to protect their websites from exploitation.

Additional steps include restricting privileged user interactions that could trigger the vulnerability, such as limiting access to trusted users and monitoring for suspicious activity.

Consider disabling or removing the wpDataTables plugin temporarily if mitigation is not feasible.

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