CVE-2026-75797 Overview
CVE-2026-75797 is a path traversal vulnerability [CWE-22] affecting the AI Engine plugin for WordPress in versions before 3.7.2. The plugin fails to constrain a caller-supplied URL when mapping it to a local filesystem path. An authenticated attacker can force the plugin to read arbitrary files from the server and forward the contents to an external service.
Subscriber-level exploitation requires the non-default public API feature to be enabled. When that feature is disabled, the same code path is reachable by any administrator. On WordPress multisite installations, a non-super subsite administrator can read the network-shared configuration and its secrets.
Critical Impact
Authenticated users can exfiltrate arbitrary files, including wp-config.php secrets, from the WordPress host.
Affected Products
- AI Engine WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.7.2
- WordPress single-site installations with the public API feature enabled (subscriber-reachable)
- WordPress multisite installations (subsite administrator-reachable)
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-08-26 - CVE-2026-75797 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-08-26 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-75797
Vulnerability Analysis
The AI Engine plugin accepts a URL parameter from the caller and translates it into a local filesystem path. The plugin then reads that file and forwards its contents to an external service as part of its AI processing workflow. Because the URL-to-path mapping does not restrict traversal sequences or validate that the resolved path stays inside the plugin's intended directory, an attacker can supply crafted input that resolves to sensitive files outside the allowed scope.
The impact is scoped confidentiality loss with no direct integrity or availability effect. The scope change reflects that data leaves the WordPress trust boundary through the outbound forwarding step. On multisite, the shared wp-config.php and network options table contain secrets used by the entire network, allowing a single subsite administrator to escalate reach across every site sharing the installation.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing path canonicalization and directory containment between the URL parser and the file read operation. The plugin trusts the caller-supplied URL to resolve to an in-scope resource without enforcing an allow-list or verifying that the final path is a descendant of an approved base directory.
Attack Vector
Exploitation is network-reachable and requires low privileges. In the subscriber-reachable configuration, the attacker authenticates with a subscriber account and invokes the plugin's public API endpoint with a URL crafted to resolve to a sensitive local file such as wp-config.php. The plugin reads the file and transmits its contents outbound to the configured AI service endpoint, where the attacker can retrieve them. In the default configuration, an administrator or subsite administrator on multisite performs the same request.
No verified public exploit code is available. Technical details are documented in the WPScan Vulnerability Details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-75797
Indicators of Compromise
- Requests to AI Engine plugin REST endpoints containing file://, ..%2f, or absolute path fragments in URL parameters
- Outbound requests from the WordPress host to external AI service endpoints containing the contents of wp-config.php or other server files
- Access to the AI Engine public API by subscriber-level accounts that have no legitimate reason to invoke it
Detection Strategies
- Review web server access logs for POST or GET requests to /wp-json/mwai/ and related AI Engine routes carrying URL parameters that reference local paths or file:// schemes
- Correlate WordPress user roles with AI Engine endpoint usage to flag subscriber or subsite-administrator accounts invoking the vulnerable feature
- Inspect egress traffic for large payloads leaving the WordPress host toward third-party AI providers immediately after a subscriber-authenticated request
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging for plugin API calls and role-scoped endpoint access
- Monitor for creation of low-privilege subscriber accounts followed by immediate calls to AI Engine endpoints
- Alert on outbound HTTP requests from the WordPress host whose body size or content pattern matches configuration file contents
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-75797
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the AI Engine plugin to version 3.7.2 or later on all WordPress sites
- Disable the public API feature of AI Engine until the plugin is patched
- Rotate any secrets stored in wp-config.php, including database credentials, authentication keys, and API tokens, if exploitation is suspected
- On multisite, audit subsite administrator accounts and revoke unnecessary access
Patch Information
The vendor addressed the issue in AI Engine version 3.7.2. Administrators should apply the update through the WordPress plugin manager or WP-CLI. Refer to the WPScan Vulnerability Details for the advisory.
Workarounds
- Disable the AI Engine public API setting to remove subscriber-level reachability
- Restrict subscriber registration on affected sites until patching is complete
- Apply a web application firewall rule to block requests to AI Engine endpoints containing path traversal sequences or file:// schemes
# Update AI Engine using WP-CLI
wp plugin update ai-engine --version=3.7.2
# Verify installed version
wp plugin get ai-engine --field=version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
