Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a critical WordPress plugin issue. Older Frontend File Manager and N-Media Post Front-end Form versions may let an unauthenticated attacker upload arbitrary files to the server. If executable content is accepted and reachable, this can become full site compromise.
Executive priority
Treat affected public WordPress sites as urgent remediation candidates. The business risk is website takeover, data theft, malware placement, or service disruption if vulnerable plugins remain installed.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-434 arbitrary file upload caused by missing file type validation in the nm_filemanager_upload_file and nm_postfront_upload_file AJAX actions. Reported vulnerable ranges are Frontend File Manager before 4.0 and N-Media Post Front-end Form before 1.1. CVSS is 9.8 because exploitation requires no login or user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running the named N-Media plugins in the vulnerable version ranges. Internet-facing WordPress sites are higher priority because the reported actions are unauthenticated.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability is still serious because unauthenticated arbitrary file upload can plausibly lead to remote code execution on affected servers.
Researcher notes
The provided affected CPE data is sparse and lists default status as unaffected, while the narrative identifies vulnerable version thresholds. Validate using plugin inventory and trusted vulnerability references, not CPE matching alone.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the two named N-Media plugins.
- Upgrade beyond the vulnerable ranges where vendor-supported releases exist.
- Remove the plugins if they are unused or cannot be safely updated.
- Check current vendor, Wordfence, or WPScan guidance before relying on compensating controls.
- Review uploads and web roots for unexpected executable or recently added files.
Validation and detection
- Compare installed plugin versions against Frontend File Manager < 4.0 and N-Media Post Front-end Form < 1.1.
- Review logs for unauthenticated requests referencing the named AJAX actions.
- Confirm vulnerable plugins are removed, disabled, or updated on all WordPress instances.
- Inspect upload directories for unusual files created during the exposure window.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-434: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-15042 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2c1e6298-f243-49a5-b1b7-52bd6a6c8858?source=cveCVE reference
- https://www.pluginvulnerabilities.com/2016/09/19/arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-front-end-file-upload-and-manager-plugin/CVE reference
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/nmedia-user-file-uploader/#developersCVE reference
- https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/052f7d9a-aaff-4fb1-92b7-aeb83cc705a7CVE reference
- https://www.pluginvulnerabilities.com/2016/09/19/arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-n-media-post-front-end-form/CVE reference
- https://www.acunetix.com/vulnerabilities/web/wordpress-plugin-n-media-post-front-end-form-arbitrary-file-upload-1-0/CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.