---
id: CVE-2026-16099
title: >-
  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
summary: >-
  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…
severity: high
cvss: 8.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-502
published: '2026-08-16'
updated: '2026-08-16'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16099'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/image_cache/generation_guard.php#L19
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/image_cache/generation_guard.php#L57
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/model/base.php#L552
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/modules/shownotes/rest_api.php#L538
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/modules/shownotes/rest_api.php#L585
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress/tags/4.5.3/lib/modules/shownotes/rest_api.php#L630
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3648110%40podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress&new=3648110%40podlove-podcasting-plugin-for-wordpress
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/3aa6fd71-337f-4998-a15d-650aa4f6142c?source=cve
    label: security@wordfence.com
tags:
  - nvd
ingestedAt: '2026-08-16T13:39:07.106Z'
epss: 0.01098
epssPercentile: 0.6415
---

## Overview

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.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.