Description
The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.9.4 via the setupSources function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. Exploitation requires enabling manual minify mode and supplying a manual-format minify filename so that the hash is empty and the f_array[] entries are not overwritten before reaching setupSources().
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| boldgrid | W3 Total Cache | ≤ 2.9.4 | — |
Automated scanner template
A ready-made Nuclei template detects this vulnerability automatically. Vulnerabilities with public scanner templates are typically probed across the internet soon after the template appears — exposed systems should be patched first.
- W3 Total Cache <= 2.9.4 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read http/cves/2026/CVE-2026-9282.yaml
Source: projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates (MIT) — updated daily. Only links are listed.
References
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/e92cc06d-006f-4bba-a4ef-b23d80c00085?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.9.4/lib/Minify/Minify/Controller/MinApp.php#L163
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.9.4/lib/Minify/Minify/Controller/MinApp.php#L109
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.9.4/Minify_MinifiedFileRequestHandler.php#L191
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.9.4/Minify_Plugin.php#L132
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3585227%40w3-total-cache&new=3585227%40w3-total-cache