CVE-2026-4132
Received Received - Intake
Remote Code Execution via Path Manipulation in WordPress HTTP Headers Plugin

Publication date: 2026-04-22

Last updated on: 2026-04-22

Assigner: Wordfence

Description
The HTTP Headers plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to External Control of File Name or Path leading to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to and including 1.19.2. This is due to insufficient validation of the file path stored in the 'hh_htpasswd_path' option and lack of sanitization on the 'hh_www_authenticate_user' option value. The plugin allows administrators to set an arbitrary file path for the htpasswd file location and does not validate that the path has a safe file extension (e.g., restricting to .htpasswd). Additionally, the username field used for HTTP Basic Authentication is written directly into the file without sanitization. The apache_auth_credentials() function constructs the file content using the unsanitized username via sprintf('%s:{SHA}%s', $user, ...), and update_auth_credentials() writes this content to the attacker-controlled path via file_put_contents(). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to write arbitrary content (including PHP code) to arbitrary file paths on the server, effectively achieving Remote Code Execution.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-04-22
Last Modified
2026-04-22
Generated
2026-05-07
AI Q&A
2026-04-22
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
CVE-2026-4132
EUVD
EUVD-2026-24674
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
wordfence http_headers_plugin to 1.19.2 (inc)
wp_plugins http_headers to 1.19.2 (inc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-73 The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

The HTTP Headers plugin for WordPress has a vulnerability that allows attackers with Administrator-level access to execute remote code on the server. This happens because the plugin does not properly validate or sanitize file paths and usernames used in HTTP Basic Authentication. Specifically, administrators can set an arbitrary file path for the htpasswd file without restrictions on the file extension, and the username is written directly into the file without sanitization. This flaw enables attackers to write arbitrary content, including malicious PHP code, to any file path on the server.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can have severe impacts as it allows authenticated administrators to perform Remote Code Execution (RCE) on the server. An attacker exploiting this flaw can write arbitrary files, including malicious scripts, potentially taking full control of the server. This can lead to data breaches, server compromise, defacement, or further attacks within the network.


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