Better Messages <= 2.15.19 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal via 'file' Parameter
| CVE | CVE-2026-16585 |
|---|---|
| CVSS | 7.2 (High) |
| Publicly Published | July 27, 2026 |
| Last Updated | July 28, 2026 |
| Researcher |
Wordfence PRISM
- Wordfence
|
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.
References
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org
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Vulnerability Details for Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots
| Software Type | Plugin |
|---|---|
| Software Slug | bp-better-messages (view on wordpress.org) |
| Patched? | Yes |
| Remediation | Update to version 2.15.20, or a newer patched version |
| Affected Version |
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| Patched Version |
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Recent vulnerabilities in Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots
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