The Podlove Podcast Publisher plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the create_link_item function in all versions up to, and including, 4.5.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-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). A viable POP chain exists within the plugin itself via Podlove\ImageCache\GenerationGuard, whose __destruct() method invokes wp_delete_file() with an attacker-controlled file path populated through unserialization.
CVE-2026-16099
HIGHPre-NVD 8.88.8—Trending — 4 sources updated this week
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence
Score 8.8 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: HIGH) published 2026-08-16. a secondary CVSS source baseline 8.8; sources differ by 0.0.
Triggered by: GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
Sources: epss, ghsa, secondary
8.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 1%CVSS: 8.8Exploit: None knownExposed: 0
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 8.8
- EG Score
- 8.8(high)
- EG Risk
- 40(Track)EG Risk 40/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity88% × 45%Exploitation1% × 40%Automatability0% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 1%
- EPSS %ILE
- 46%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
August 16, 2026
Last Modified
August 20, 2026
References (8)
- security@wordfencehttps://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/image_cache/generation_guard.php#L19
- security@wordfencehttps://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/image_cache/generation_guard.php#L57
- security@wordfencehttps://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/model/base.php#L552
- security@wordfencehttps://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/modules/shownotes/rest_api.php#L538
- security@wordfencehttps://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/modules/shownotes/rest_api.php#L585
- security@wordfencehttps://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/modules/shownotes/rest_api.php#L630
- security@wordfencehttps://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3648110%40podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress&new=3648110%40podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress
- security@wordfencehttps://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3aa6fd71-337f-4998-a15d-650aa4f6142c?source=cve
Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-16099(1)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 24× in last 7d / 24× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-08-21 01:54 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-21 01:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-20 22:55 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-20 13:01 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-20 08:47 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-19 19:55 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-19 19:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-19 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-19 07:02 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-18 18:09 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-18 18:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-18 13:48 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-18 05:12 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-18 05:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-17 16:17 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-17 16:17 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-17 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-17 07:13 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-16 18:21 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-16 18:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-16 14:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-16 05:29 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-16 04:41 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-16 04:41 UTCMITRE cvelistV5first tracked
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-502
- CVE-2017-10992EG 9.8EPSS p95CRITICAL
- CVE-2013-4521EG 9.8EPSS p90CRITICAL
- CVE-2014-1860EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2016-1000027EG 9.8EPSS p98CRITICAL
- CVE-2014-3699EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-10934EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2016-9498EG 9.8EPSS p97CRITICAL
- CVE-2016-9483EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2015-2020EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-15692EG 9.8EPSS p91CRITICAL
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2026-16099?
CVE-2026-16099 is a high vulnerability published on August 16, 2026. The Podlove Podcast Publisher plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the createlinkitem function in all versions up to, and including, 4.5.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and…
When was CVE-2026-16099 disclosed?
CVE-2026-16099 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on August 16, 2026, with the most recent update on August 20, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2026-16099 actively exploited?
CVE-2026-16099 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 54.4% of all scored CVEs.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-16099?
CVE-2026-16099 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2026-16099?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2026-16099, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2026-16099
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2026-16099?
EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.