CVE-2026-57766: WPIDE File Manager CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2026-57766 Overview

CVE-2026-57766 is an unauthenticated Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the WPIDE – File Manager & Code Editor WordPress plugin in versions up to and including 3.5.6. The plugin provides administrators with in-browser file management and code editing functionality, making it an appealing target when protections against forged requests are missing. The flaw is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery and requires user interaction from an authenticated administrator to succeed.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation lets an attacker perform privileged file management and code editing actions on a WordPress site by tricking a logged-in administrator into visiting a crafted page, potentially leading to full site compromise.

Affected Products

WPIDE – File Manager & Code Editor plugin for WordPress
All versions up to and including 3.5.6
WordPress sites with the plugin installed and an authenticated administrator session

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-02 - CVE-2026-57766 published to NVD
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-57766

Vulnerability Analysis

The WPIDE plugin exposes file management and code editor actions through WordPress request handlers. These handlers do not adequately verify the origin or authenticity of incoming state-changing requests. Because the plugin does not enforce anti-CSRF nonces or equivalent request validation, an attacker can craft a malicious HTML page or link that submits requests on behalf of an authenticated administrator. When the administrator visits the attacker-controlled resource, the browser silently sends authenticated requests to the vulnerable WordPress site.

The vulnerability requires user interaction, since an administrator must be logged in and visit the attacker-controlled content. Once triggered, the forged request runs with the administrator's privileges. Because WPIDE offers direct file editing capabilities inside the WordPress installation, forged actions can modify PHP source files. This turns a CSRF condition into a path to arbitrary code execution on the server.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient CSRF protection on privileged plugin endpoints. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() for validating that state-changing requests originate from an authenticated context on the site itself. The vulnerable versions of WPIDE do not consistently enforce these checks on file management and editor actions, leaving the endpoints reachable via cross-origin request submission.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and does not require prior authentication by the attacker. The attacker hosts a page containing an auto-submitting form or hidden request targeting the WPIDE endpoints. A WordPress administrator with an active session must visit the page for the exploit to execute. Because the plugin exposes file write and edit capabilities, an attacker who chains this CSRF with file modification actions can insert a web shell or malicious PHP into plugin or theme files. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for CVE-2026-57766 for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-57766

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected modifications to PHP files under wp-content/plugins/ or wp-content/themes/ timestamped near administrator browsing activity.
Requests to WPIDE plugin endpoints originating with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains.
New or altered files in the WordPress install that were not created by a known deployment process.
Administrator sessions producing file-write actions without corresponding legitimate editor navigation in access logs.

Detection Strategies

Monitor web server access logs for POST requests to WPIDE admin-ajax or plugin action endpoints with off-site Referer values.
Deploy file integrity monitoring across the WordPress document root to alert on unexpected writes to .php files.
Correlate administrator authentication events with subsequent file modifications to identify unauthorized activity chains.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging for plugin and theme file edits, capturing user, IP, and referer.
Alert on outbound connections from the web server following file modifications, which can indicate web shell activation.
Track administrator user agents and IP addresses for anomalies suggesting session use from unexpected contexts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-57766

Immediate Actions Required

Update the WPIDE – File Manager & Code Editor plugin to a version later than 3.5.6 as soon as the vendor releases a patched build.
Deactivate and remove the plugin from production WordPress sites where an updated version is not yet available.
Force administrator re-authentication and rotate credentials if suspicious file changes are detected.
Audit wp-content/plugins/ and wp-content/themes/ directories for unauthorized modifications.

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects WPIDE versions up to and including 3.5.6. Consult the Patchstack advisory for the fixed version and vendor guidance. Apply the vendor's patched release through the WordPress plugin updater once available.

Workarounds

Restrict access to /wp-admin/ by IP allowlist at the web server or WAF layer to reduce exposure of administrator sessions.
Require administrators to use a dedicated browser profile that does not visit untrusted sites while WordPress is authenticated.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule that blocks requests to WPIDE endpoints when the Referer header is missing or off-site.
Enforce short administrator session lifetimes and reauthentication for sensitive actions.

bash

# Example WAF rule concept: block WPIDE plugin requests with off-site Referer
# ModSecurity pseudo-rule
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin.php" \
    "chain,phase:2,deny,status:403,id:1057766,\
     msg:'Potential CSRF against WPIDE plugin (CVE-2026-57766)'"
    SecRule ARGS:page "@rx ^wpide" "chain"
        SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Referer "!@beginsWith https://your-wordpress-domain.example/"