Better Messages <= 2.15.19 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal via 'file' Parameter

{
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "cveMetadata": {
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-16585",
    "assignerOrgId": "b15e7b5b-3da4-40ae-a43c-f7aa60e62599",
    "assignerShortName": "Wordfence",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-07-28T05:39:44.828Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-07-22T13:45:18.223Z",
    "datePublished": "2026-07-28T05:39:44.828Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "providerMetadata": {
        "orgId": "b15e7b5b-3da4-40ae-a43c-f7aa60e62599",
        "shortName": "Wordfence",
        "dateUpdated": "2026-07-28T05:39:44.828Z"
      },
      "title": "Better Messages <= 2.15.19 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Arbitrary File Deletion via Path Traversal via 'file' Parameter",
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "The Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the delete_sticker function in all versions up to, and including, 2.15.19. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php). The prefix check intended to restrict deletion to the uploads directory can be bypassed by crafting a URL that begins with the legitimate uploads base URL but embeds ../ traversal sequences in the path portion, as the normalize_sticker function only applies esc_url_raw(), which does not strip ../ sequences, allowing the traversal payload to be stored verbatim in WordPress options."
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "vendor": "wordplus",
          "product": "Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots",
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "versions": [
            {
              "version": "0",
              "status": "affected",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "2.15.19"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "description": "CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')",
              "cweId": "CWE-22",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/e9274957-7584-4df6-bb2a-d745510f5033?source=cve"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/rest.php#L285"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/rest.php#L287"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/pack-manager.php#L764"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-better-messages/tags/2.15.19/addons/stickers/rest.php#L153"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3623636/bp-better-messages/trunk/addons/stickers/rest.php?old=3527109&old_path=bp-better-messages%2Ftrunk%2Faddons%2Fstickers%2Frest.php"
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "version": "3.1",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "baseScore": 7.2,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH"
          }
        }
      ],
      "timeline": [
        {
          "time": "2026-07-22T14:00:28.000Z",
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "Vendor Notified"
        },
        {
          "time": "2026-07-27T16:36:42.000Z",
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "Disclosed"
        }
      ],
      "credits": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "Wordfence PRISM",
          "type": "finder"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}