CVE-2026-9231
CVE-2026-9231 — WP Travel Engine <= 6.8.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Local File Inclusion via 'template' Shortcode Attribute
The WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 6.8.0 via the wte_get_template function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where .php file types can be uploaded and included.
Published Updated Sources: NVD, wptravelengine (CNA), GitHub, GitHub Security Advisory, SOCRadar CTI
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.
Exploitation
Reported
not confirmed by CISA
EPSS
0%
ahead of 0% of scored CVEs
CVSS base
7.5
high
Remediation
The vendor's own words where we have them.
Upgrade WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.
- Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
- Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| wptravelengine | WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software | 0 to <= 6.8.0 | Vulnerable |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Availability
High
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Scope
Unchanged
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Vector
Network
Privileges Req
Low
User Interaction
None
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | high | 1.6 | 5.9 | NVD, wptravelengine (CNA), GHSA |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
What this weakness leads to
MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.
CWE-98 · Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
- Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Mitigation: Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
Weakness & attack patterns
- CWE-98
Attack patterns reported against this CVE. The ATT&CK techniques below are inferred from its weakness class.
Public exploit
Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.
Repositories
12
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software.
- Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 12 public PoC repositories were reported.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.
- 2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 7.5 (AV:N)
Sep 22, 2026 · NVD
Initial · CVE published
Sep 22, 2026 · NVD
Added · GHSA-vq82-hcfx-mf57 published (high)
Sep 22, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisory
CVE published by MITRE.
Sep 22, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
Reported · Disclosed
Sep 21, 2026 · wptravelengine
Reported · Vendor Notified
May 21, 2026 · wptravelengine
References
10 on the record
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-travel-engine/tags/6.7.12/includes/classes/Core/Shortcodes/General.php#L52
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-travel-engine/tags/6.7.12/includes/helpers/helpers.php#L882
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-travel-engine/tags/6.7.12/includes/helpers/helpers.php#L955
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-travel-engine/tags/6.7.7/includes/classes/Core/Shortcodes/General.php#L52
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-travel-engine/tags/6.7.7/includes/helpers/helpers.php#L882
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-travel-engine/tags/6.7.7/includes/helpers/helpers.php#L955
Vendor Advisory
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3572382/wp-travel-engine/tags/6.8.1/includes/classes/Core/Shortcodes/General.php
Vendor Advisory
- www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/708b70c7-e4e6-4422-9682-c7d05063a188?source=cve
Vendor Advisory
Elsewhere on this site
- wptravelengineevery CVE for this vendor
- Unclassifiedsame class
- CWE-98other pages naming this weakness
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record1
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-9231 is WP Travel Engine <= 6.8.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Local File Inclusion via 'template' Shortcode Attribute, a high vulnerability affecting WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software from wptravelengine. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Exploitation is reported, but no independent confirmation is available in the sources we have. Public exploit evidence is: 12 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.