CVE-2016-6896

7.1 HIGH 38% exploit odds No fix listed Disclosure Web app

What it is

Directory traversal vulnerability in the wp_ajax_update_plugin function in wp-admin/includes/ajax-actions.php in WordPress 4.5.3 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service or read certain text files via a .. (dot dot) in the plugin parameter to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php, as demonstrated by /dev/random read operations that deplete the entropy pool.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited over the network with a low-privilege account. High risk of service disruption.
Exploit odds: 38.1% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS). Higher than most.
Fix: No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.

Timeline

2017-01-18 21:59 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-06-17 00:51 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 38.1% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 7.1 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.

Details

Published: 2017-01-18 21:59 UTC
Last modified: 2026-06-17 00:51 UTC
Exploit probability: 38.1% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-22 · Path traversal
Record status: Modified

Affected

WordPress 4.5.3

Attack profile CVSS 3.0 · 7.1

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2016-6896.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2016-6896. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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References

NVD record · CVE.org record