Unauthenticated post deletion via unchecked recover_id
Published Jun 16, 2026 · Updated Jun 16, 2026
Missing authorization in Abandoned Contact Form 7 2.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to permanently delete arbitrary WordPress content. The action__remove_abandoned() AJAX handler passes the recover_id POST value directly to wp_delete_post() with forced deletion, without a capability check, nonce validation, or a cf7af_data post-type check. No authentication or user interaction is required; a single admin-ajax request can permanently remove posts, pages, or other site content.
Summary
What happened
Missing authorization in Abandoned Contact Form 7 2.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to permanently delete arbitrary WordPress content. The action__remove_abandoned() AJAX handler passes the recover_id POST value directly to wp_delete_post() with forced deletion, without a capability check, nonce validation, or a cf7af_data post-type check. No authentication or user interaction is required; a single admin-ajax request can permanently remove posts, pages, or other site content.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-9187
- Published
- Jun 16, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- Vendor
- ZealousWeb
- Product
- Abandoned Contact Form 7
- Classifications
- CWE-862, T1485
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 16, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 16, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <=2.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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