Plugins · prevent-direct-access · data as of 2026-11-04
Is Prevent Direct Access safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version
- Latest version
- 2.8.9.1
- Last updated
- 2026-08-27
- Active installs
- 10,000+
- Known issues on record
- 3
- Unpatched in latest
- 0
- Tested up to WP
- 7.1.4 · PHP 7.0+
A simple way to prevent search engines and the public from indexing and accessing your files without complex user authentication. — by WP Folio Team
What to do
- Update to the latest version (2.8.9.1). Anything older than 2.8.8.9 has at least one known issue listed below. 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.
- If you ran a vulnerable version and something looks off (spam pages, strange admins, redirects), run the free scan.
With WP-CLI: wp plugin get prevent-direct-access --field=version shows what you run; wp plugin update prevent-direct-access updates it.
Check your version
Known vulnerabilities
3 on record, newest first. “Affected” is the version range the source gives; “fixed in” is the version the source names, or (marked *) the first wordpress.org release after the last affected version.
medium 5.3 CVE-2026-3835 · published 2026-08-13
Missing authorization check in Prevent Direct Access (2.8.8.8 and older)
- Affected
- 2.8.8.8 and older
- Fixed in
- 2.8.8.9 *
- Access needed (per CVSS)
- No login needed
- Range from
- CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence
Details from the advisory
The Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of protected files due to insufficient token validation in the `get_advance_file_by_url()` method in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.8.8 The method uses a SQL `LIKE` operator for token lookup without escaping wildcard characters via `$wpdb->esc_like()`. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to bypass the private token requirement by supplying SQL wildcard characters (such as `%`) as the token value, matching any record in the plugin's file table and downloading any protected file.
NVD CVE-2026-3835Wordfence advisoryCode change (fix)wordpress.orgPlugin source
medium 5.3 CVE-2025-3923 · published 2025-04-25
Information disclosure in Prevent Direct Access (2.8.8 and older)
- Affected
- 2.8.8 and older
- Fixed in
- 2.8.8.1 *
- Access needed (per CVSS)
- No login needed
- Range from
- CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence
Details from the advisory
The Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.8 via the 'generate_unique_string' due to insufficient randomness of the generated file name. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to extract sensitive data including files protected by the plugin if the attacker can determine the file name.
NVD CVE-2025-3923Wordfence advisoryplugins.svn.wordpress.orgPlugin source
medium 5.4 CVE-2025-3861 · published 2025-04-25
Missing authorization check in Prevent Direct Access (2.8.6 to 2.8.8.2)
- Affected
- 2.8.6 to 2.8.8.2
- Fixed in
- 2.8.8.3 *
- Access needed (per CVSS)
- Needs a low-level account (e.g. subscriber)
- Range from
- CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence
Details from the advisory
The Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access and modification of data| due to a misconfigured capability check on the 'pda_lite_custom_permission_check' function in versions 2.8.6 to 2.8.8.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to access and change the protection status of media.
NVD CVE-2025-3861Wordfence advisoryCode change (fix)Plugin source
Recent activity
- 2026-08-27 — latest release on wordpress.org (2.8.9.1).
- 2026-08-13 — Missing authorization check disclosed (CVE-2026-3835), fixed in 2.8.8.9.
- 2025-04-25 — Information disclosure disclosed (CVE-2025-3923), fixed in 2.8.8.1.
- 2025-04-25 — Missing authorization check disclosed (CVE-2025-3861), fixed in 2.8.8.3.
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Browse vulnerabilities
- Published this week
- Unpatched in the latest version
- By type of vulnerability
- Plugins by WP Folio Team (2 tracked)
Types found in this plugin: Missing authorization (2) · Sensitive data exposure (1)
Where this data comes from
- Version, last update, installs: wordpress.org/plugins/prevent-direct-access (Plugins API), fetched 2026-11-04.
- Vulnerabilities: 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.
- Each record links to its CVE page and to the original advisory (Wordfence, Patchstack or WPScan) where there is one. We only list a CVE here when its references or its advisory name this exact plugin, so a few real issues may be missing; none should be about a different plugin. Spot an error? Email Daniel.
Badge for your site or docs (states facts with a date, not a verdict):
<a href="https://laskyr.com/plugins/prevent-direct-access"><img src="https://laskyr.com/plugins/prevent-direct-access/badge.svg" alt="Prevent Direct Access vulnerability status"></a>