Paid Downloads <= 3.15 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload via 'paiddownloads_update_file' Action

8.1
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
CVE CVE-2026-87935
CVSS 8.1 (High)
Publicly Published September 16, 2026
Last Updated September 17, 2026
Researcher Spy0x7

Description

The Paid Downloads plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Upload in all versions up to, and including, 3.15 via the admin_request_handler function. This is due to missing authorization and file type validation in the admin_request_handler function, which is reachable unauthenticated via is_admin() returning true for /wp-admin/admin-post.php. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to upload files that may be executable, which makes remote code execution possible. On Apache servers where AllowOverride is enabled, an .htaccess file placed in the upload directory may block direct HTTP retrieval of uploaded files, limiting exploitability to stacks that do not honor .htaccess directives such as nginx, LiteSpeed, and Apache with AllowOverride None.

Learn more about Arbitrary File Upload vulnerabilities and how to prevent them.

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Vulnerability Details for Paid Downloads

Software Type Plugin
Software Slug paid-downloads (view on wordpress.org)
Patched? No
Remediation No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
Affected Version
  • <= 3.15

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