CVE-2026-5957
Deferred Deferred - Pending Action
Arbitrary File Read in EmailKit WordPress Plugin

Publication date: 2026-05-05

Last updated on: 2026-05-05

Assigner: Wordfence

Description
The EmailKit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to and including 1.6.5. This is due to a flawed path traversal validation in the create_template() method of the CheckForm class, where realpath() is called on the allowed base directory (wp-content/uploads/emailkit/templates/) which may not exist, causing it to return false. In PHP 8.x, strpos($real_path, false) implicitly converts false to an empty string, and strpos() with an empty needle always returns 0, causing the check strpos(...) !== 0 to evaluate to false and bypassing the path validation entirely. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-level access and above, to read arbitrary files from the server, including sensitive files such as wp-config.php, by supplying an absolute path to the emailkit-editor-template REST API parameter.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-05-05
Last Modified
2026-05-05
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-05-05
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-5957
EUVD
EUVD-2026-27197
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
emailkit emailkit to 1.6.5 (inc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-22 The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
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Executive Summary

The EmailKit plugin for WordPress has a vulnerability called Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to 1.6.5. This happens because the plugin's create_template() method uses a flawed path traversal validation. Specifically, it calls realpath() on a base directory that might not exist, causing realpath() to return false. In PHP 8.x, this false value is implicitly converted to an empty string in a strpos() check, which then incorrectly passes the validation. As a result, authenticated users with Author-level access or higher can bypass the path validation and read any file on the server by providing an absolute path to the emailkit-editor-template REST API parameter.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows attackers with Author-level access or higher to read arbitrary files on the server. This can lead to exposure of sensitive information such as configuration files (e.g., wp-config.php), which may contain database credentials and other critical data. Such unauthorized access can compromise the security of the website and its data.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with Author-level access to read arbitrary files on the server, including sensitive files such as wp-config.php.

Access to sensitive files could potentially expose personal or confidential data, which may lead to non-compliance with data protection standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

However, the provided information does not explicitly describe the direct impact on compliance with these standards.

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