# rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress <= 4.7.13 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Limited File Read and Deletion via 'files' Parameter

- **ID:** WPSEC-2026-0532
- **Plugin:** rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress (`buddypress-media`), https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress-media/
- **Affected versions:** from 3.6.13 before 4.7.14
- **Fixed in:** 4.7.14 (Update to 4.7.14 or later.)
- **Severity:** High 7.6 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L)
- **Weakness:** CWE-73
- **Usage among sites WPSec scans:** plugin Low, affected versions Low (as of 2026-10-07)
- **Attack surface analysis:** https://attacksurface.wpsec.com/plugin/buddypress-media
- **Fix released:** 2026-10-06
- **Published:** 2026-10-07
- **URL:** https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-0532/

## Description

The rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to server-side file read and deletion in versions 3.6.13 up to, and including, 4.7.13. This is due to the media upload handler accepting a 'files' parameter from the request and passing the server file path it contains to wp_handle_sideload() without validation. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access and above to have a readable file on the server copied into the public uploads directory and then deleted from its original location. Files must still pass WordPress's file type and content checks, which reject PHP files such as wp-config.php when the PHP fileinfo extension is available. On servers without fileinfo, wp-config.php can be read and deleted, which can lead to a full site takeover.

## References

- https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-0532/
- https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/buddypress-media/tags/4.7.14/
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress-media/

Source: WPSec, https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-0532/

License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Free to use, share and adapt, also commercially, if you credit WPSec and link to this advisory.