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Fencer Intel
critical 10.0

CVE-2026-18051 json

W3 Total Cache < 2.10.5 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary Directory File Write and .htaccess Overwrite via Path Traversal in the Page Cache Key

published 2mo ago modified 6h ago also EUVD-2026-62277

cvss
10.0
version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev
Not listed
not in CISA's catalog
epss
2.0%
EPSS 2.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 80%
public exploits
0
none known, plus a Nuclei check

Summary

The W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin before 2.10.5 does not properly validate the request path it uses to build cache file names, allowing unauthenticated attackers to write a file into any existing directory on the server, inside or outside the web root, overwriting whatever occupies the target name. On Apache, the same flaw overwrites the site's .htaccess files, which breaks the site and can strip hardening rules that other security measures rely on.

Patch / fix

  • Unknown W3 Total Cache 2.10.5

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CISA SSVC

Exploitation
none
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
total
Assessed
2mo ago

Exploit prediction

2.01% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 80% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-09).

Exploits and checks

  • Nuclei template W3 Total Cache < 2.10.5 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary Directory File Write nuclei detection template
  • wpscan.com https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/dc56cdd2-419b-4a64-9d2a-29dc7e79cb6d/ referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified

CVSS scores

assigned by version score vector
CISA ADP 3.1 10.0 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H
CNA 3.1 10.0 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H

Affected products

  • Unknown W3 Total Cache

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
Technology feeds

References

Sources

Fencer Intel keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.