CVE-2026-89301: rtMedia for WordPress missing authorization check vulnerability
high 7.5 published 2026-10-10 · updated 2026-10-13
- Affected versions
- 4.7.13 and older
- Fixed in
- 4.7.14 *
- Latest version
- 4.7.16
- Severity
- High · CVSS 7.5
- Active installs
- 7,000+
- Type
- Missing authorization check
* The source does not name a fixed version; this is the first wordpress.org release after the last affected version.
What an attacker needs
- Access: None. No account or login is needed.
CVSS vector (score by Wordfence): CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
What to do now
- Update rtMedia for WordPress to 4.7.14 or newer (the latest is 4.7.16): Dashboard → Updates, or Plugins → “update now”.
- If you cannot update right away, deactivate it until you can.
- Turn on auto-updates for it: Plugins → “Enable auto-updates” on its row.
- Not sure which version you run? Check your version against every known rtMedia for WordPress issue.
With WP-CLI:
wp plugin get buddypress-media --field=version. - If you ran an affected version and something looks off (new admin users, spam pages, redirects), run the free scan below.
The advisory
The rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to limited file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the process function in all versions up to, and including, 4.7.13 This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary safe files on the server.. The public nonce (rtmedia_upload_nonce) is emitted into frontend JavaScript on any page rendering the rtMedia gallery or upload shortcode, making it retrievable by unauthenticated visitors without any prior authentication or privileged action.
References
- NVD CVE-2026-89301 nvd.nist.gov
- Wordfence advisory www.wordfence.com
- github.com github.com
- Plugin source plugins.trac.wordpress.org
Related
Ran an affected version? Check your site for signs of a hack
The free scan reads the public side of your site and looks for spam pages, hidden redirects, injected scripts and blacklist entries. No login, no install, about a minute.
Where this data comes from
- CVE record, score and references: NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD), checked 2026-11-04. This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Versions and install counts: wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress-media (Plugins API), fetched 2026-11-04.
- The summary, “what an attacker needs” and “what to do” sections are our plain-English reading of the record and the plugin's release history; the quoted description is the record's own text. Spot an error? Email Daniel.