CVE-2026-3835Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files <= 2.8.8.8 - Unauthenticated Protected File Access
Updated under an hour ago ()
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It affects buildwps Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files. Add what you run to find out whether that includes you.
No exploitation reported and no EPSS estimate yet.
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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.
- CVSS
- 5.3 MEDIUM (v3.1, CNA)CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-285
- Known exploited
- Not in CISA's KEV catalog
- EPSS (exploitation in the next 30 days)
- Not loaded for this CVE
- Assigned by
- Wordfence
- NVD analysis
- Deferred
- Record last updated
- Aug 13, 2026
- First seen by InfoSec Signals
- Oct 9, 2026
Affected products
buildwps Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files buildwps:prevent_direct_access_protect_wordpress_files (from the name) | through 2.8.8.8 | CNA record |
References
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c39d16f1-ce80-402c-8a36-f9070dc5f9c9?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/prevent-direct-access/trunk/includes/repository.php#L221
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/prevent-direct-access/tags/2.8.8.4/includes/repository.php#L221
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/prevent-direct-access/trunk/download.php#L377
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/prevent-direct-access/
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&new=3637502%40prevent-direct-access%2Ftags%2F2.8.8.9&old=3524320%40prevent-direct-access%2Ftags%2F2.8.8.8
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3637499/prevent-direct-access/trunk/includes/repository.php
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=%2Fprevent-direct-access/tags/2.8.8.8&new_path=%2Fprevent-direct-access/tags/2.8.8.9
The CVE record on cve.org NVD's entry
The CVE record is authoritative. Products marked “from the name” were identified from the CNA's free-text names, not a CPE, and are matched less certainly. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.