CVE-2026-18051: CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in W3 Total Cache
CVE-2026-18051 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in the W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin versions before 2.10.5. It allows unauthenticated attackers to write files to arbitrary directories on the server, including overwriting important files such as .htaccess on Apache servers. This can break the site and remove security hardening rules.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin before version 2.10.5 improperly validates request paths used to build cache file names. This flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to perform path traversal attacks, writing files to any existing directory on the server, both inside and outside the web root. On Apache servers, this vulnerability can overwrite the .htaccess file, disrupting site functionality and removing security configurations that rely on it.
Potential Impact
An attacker can overwrite arbitrary files on the server without authentication, leading to denial of service by breaking the site and potentially removing security hardening rules. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 10.0, indicating critical severity with high impact on integrity and availability but no confidentiality impact.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available in W3 Total Cache version 2.10.5. Users should upgrade to version 2.10.5 or later to remediate this vulnerability. No other mitigations are indicated in the advisory.
CVE-2026-18051: CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in W3 Total Cache
Description
CVE-2026-18051 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in the W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin versions before 2.10.5. It allows unauthenticated attackers to write files to arbitrary directories on the server, including overwriting important files such as .htaccess on Apache servers. This can break the site and remove security hardening rules.
CVSS v3.1
Score 10.0critical
Affected software
W3 Total Cache
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin before version 2.10.5 improperly validates request paths used to build cache file names. This flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to perform path traversal attacks, writing files to any existing directory on the server, both inside and outside the web root. On Apache servers, this vulnerability can overwrite the .htaccess file, disrupting site functionality and removing security configurations that rely on it.
Potential Impact
An attacker can overwrite arbitrary files on the server without authentication, leading to denial of service by breaking the site and potentially removing security hardening rules. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 10.0, indicating critical severity with high impact on integrity and availability but no confidentiality impact.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available in W3 Total Cache version 2.10.5. Users should upgrade to version 2.10.5 or later to remediate this vulnerability. No other mitigations are indicated in the advisory.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- WPScan
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-28T12:02:07.571Z
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a854e93c6e8be033248b28b
Added to database: 08/19/2026, 06:34:59 UTC
Last enriched: 09/11/2026, 09:47:34 UTC
Last updated: 10/03/2026, 02:46:03 UTC
Views: 166
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