CVE-2026-16144

What it is

The Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.20 via the _save_data function. This is due to insufficient validation of the 'thisPermalink' field value before it overwrites a trusted callable placeholder, allowing attacker-controlled strings to reach call_user_func() in _save_data(). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server. Exploitation requires the target form to define a field with a name matching one of the reserved placeholder keys ('thisPermalink', 'entryCounter', or 'submission_link'), as check_if_placeholders_changed() only processes POST keys present in the form's field_type_map.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.

Exploit odds

1.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.

Timeline

1. 2026-08-01 09:17 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-08-12 21:00 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 1.2% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 8.1 HIGH (CVSS).
• Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.

Details

Published

2026-08-01 09:17 UTC

Last modified

2026-08-12 21:00 UTC

Exploit probability

1.2% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-94 · Code injection

Record status

Deferred

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 8.1

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

High

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

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-2026-16144.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-16144. 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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