How to Fix CVE-2026-3339: CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Related fixes
Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:
- How to Fix CVE-2026-39109: SQL injection in SQL Injection — SQL injection in SQL Injection
- How to Fix CVE-2026-35167: Kedro has a path traversal in versioned dataset loading via unsanitized version string — Kedro has a path traversal in versioned dataset loading via unsanitized version string
- How to Fix CVE-2026-6115: OS command injection in A7100RU , OS command injection in A7100RU
- How to Fix CVE-2026-26198: Sql injection in ormar , Sql injection in ormar
- How to Fix CVE-2026-43900: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripti , Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripti
*By Sai Kiran Pandrala*
| Severity | CVSS 2.7, Low |
|---|---|
| Actively exploited? | No |
| Affected | Fahadmahmood Keep Backup Daily (0 <= 2.1.1) |
| Fixed in | See vendor advisory |
| Type (CWE) | CWE-22: CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') |
What is CVE-2026-3339?
The Keep Backup Daily plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Limited Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.1.1 via the kbd_open_upload_dir AJAX action. This is due to insufficient validation of the kbd_path parameter, which is only sanitized with sanitize_text_field() - a function that does not strip path traversal sequences. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to list the contents of arbitrary directories on the server outside of the intended uploads directory.
In practical terms, a successful attacker gets unauthorized file reads or writes through path traversal. There is no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation listed in CISA's KEV catalog at the time of writing, but the CVSS rating still warrants prompt patching.
Am I affected?
You're affected if you run Fahadmahmood Keep Backup Daily at any version in the Affected row above. Use these probes to find your installed build:
# Confirm the installed version via your package manager
dpkg -l | grep -i keep # Debian/Ubuntu
rpm -qa | grep -i keep # RHEL/CentOS/Rocky
How to fix CVE-2026-3339
The primary fix is to upgrade to the patched build listed in the Fixed in row above (See vendor advisory). Pick the platform that matches your install and run the commands below.
Linux (Ubuntu / Debian)
# Vendor advisory: https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/01984754-e332-4500-99a2-10a7b79967f5?source=cve
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade keep-backup-daily
# Confirm the installed version meets or exceeds <patched-version>
dpkg -s keep-backup-daily | grep ^Version
Linux (RHEL / CentOS / Rocky)
sudo dnf upgrade --security keep-backup-daily -y
rpm -q keep-backup-daily
Windows (PowerShell, admin)
# Vendor advisory: https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/01984754-e332-4500-99a2-10a7b79967f5?source=cve
# Try winget first
winget upgrade --id 'Fahadmahmood.Keep Backup Daily' --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
# If winget does not know the product, download the patched installer from the vendor and:
Start-Process -FilePath "$env:TEMP\KeepBackupDaily-<patched-version>.msi" -ArgumentList '/qn /norestart' -Wait
PowerShell script (Windows) - detect, back up, upgrade, verify, log
# Vendor advisory: https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/01984754-e332-4500-99a2-10a7b79967f5?source=cve
# Run as Administrator
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$log = "$env:ProgramData\KeepBackupDaily-Patch-CVE-2026-3339.log"
function Write-Log($msg) { "$(Get-Date -Format s) $msg" | Tee-Object -FilePath $log -Append }
Write-Log "Starting CVE-2026-3339 remediation for Fahadmahmood Keep Backup Daily"
# 1. Detect: replace the path/version probe with one valid for your install
$installed = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product |
Where-Object { $_.Name -like '*Keep*' } |
Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty Version)
Write-Log "Detected version: $installed"
if (-not $installed) {
Write-Log "Product not installed on this host; nothing to do."
return
}
if ([version]$installed -ge [version]'<patched-version>') {
Write-Log "Already at fixed version $installed; no action needed."
return
}
# 2. Backup configuration to a timestamped folder
$backup = "$env:ProgramData\KeepBackupDaily-Backup-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmm)"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $backup -Force | Out-Null
# Adjust the source path to match your install
$src = "$env:ProgramFiles\Fahadmahmood\Keep Backup Daily"
if (Test-Path $src) { Copy-Item -Path $src -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force }
Write-Log "Backed up config to $backup"
# 3. Apply the patched installer (place the verified file on a share or staging path)
$installer = "$env:TEMP\KeepBackupDaily-<patched-version>.msi"
if (-not (Test-Path $installer)) {
throw "Patched installer not found at $installer. Stage it from your software repo first."
}
Start-Process msiexec.exe -ArgumentList "/i `"$installer`" /qn /norestart" -Wait
Write-Log "Installer finished"
# 4. Verify
$verify = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product |
Where-Object { $_.Name -like '*Keep*' } |
Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty Version)
if ([version]$verify -ge [version]'<patched-version>') {
Write-Log "SUCCESS: now at $verify (>= <patched-version>)"
} else {
Write-Log "FAILURE: still at $verify after install"
exit 1
}
Bash script (Linux) - detect, back up, upgrade, verify, log
# Vendor advisory: https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/01984754-e332-4500-99a2-10a7b79967f5?source=cve
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
LOG=/var/log/keep-backup-daily-patch-cve-2026-3339.log
log() { echo "$(date -Iseconds) $*" | tee -a "$LOG"; }
log "Starting CVE-2026-3339 remediation for Fahadmahmood Keep Backup Daily"
# 1. Detect installed version (works for deb and rpm packages)
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null && dpkg -s keep-backup-daily >/dev/null 2>&1; then
CURRENT=$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' keep-backup-daily)
PKG_MGR=apt
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null && rpm -q keep-backup-daily >/dev/null 2>&1; then
CURRENT=$(rpm -q --queryformat '%{VERSION}' keep-backup-daily)
PKG_MGR=dnf
else
log "keep-backup-daily not installed via apt or rpm; check your package manager or vendor instructions."
exit 0
fi
log "Detected: keep-backup-daily=$CURRENT (manager=$PKG_MGR)"
# 2. Backup config
BACKUP=/var/backups/keep-backup-daily-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M)
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/keep-backup-daily /etc/${pkg%%-*} ; do
[ -d "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" && log "Backed up $d to $BACKUP"
done
# 3. Upgrade
if [ "$PKG_MGR" = apt ]; then
sudo apt-get update -y
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade -y keep-backup-daily
else
sudo dnf upgrade --security -y keep-backup-daily
fi
# 4. Verify
if [ "$PKG_MGR" = apt ]; then
NEW=$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' keep-backup-daily)
else
NEW=$(rpm -q --queryformat '%{VERSION}' keep-backup-daily)
fi
log "After upgrade: $NEW"
# Optionally compare against <patched-version> with dpkg --compare-versions or sort -V
log "Done. Restart the affected service if the package install did not."
If you can't patch immediately
These are runnable hardening commands. They reduce blast radius but they're not a replacement for the vendor patch.
Reject ../ and encoded variants at the reverse proxy
nginx:
location / {
if ($request_uri ~* "(\.\./|%2e%2e/|%2e%2e%2f|%2f%2e%2e)") { return 403; }
proxy_pass http://backend;
}
Apache mod_rewrite:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (\.\./|%2e%2e/|%2f%2e%2e) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F]
How to verify the fix worked
Run the version probe again and confirm the running build matches the Fixed in row above.
# Confirm the running build matches the patched version listed by the vendor
# Example for Linux package installs:
dpkg -l | grep -i "keep" # Debian/Ubuntu
rpm -qa | grep -i "keep" # RHEL/CentOS/Rocky
Expected output: the package version should meet or exceed the patched build.
Then re-run any vulnerability scanner you used previously and confirm the finding for CVE-2026-3339 has cleared. Sweep your logs for the indicators of compromise listed in the vendor or CISA advisory, especially if the system was internet-reachable during the disclosure window.
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2026-3339 being actively exploited?
Not at the time of writing. It is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. That status can change, so monitor the vendor advisory and the KEV catalog if the system is exposed.
How severe is CVE-2026-3339?
CVSS rates it 2.7 (Low). Use that score to set your patch priority next to the other items in your queue.
Do I have to take Keep Backup Daily offline to apply the patch?
It depends on the deployment. High-availability or clustered installs can usually patch one node at a time with no full outage. Standalone installs typically need a short restart. Always follow the vendor's documented upgrade steps.
What if my vulnerability scanner still flags CVE-2026-3339 after I patch?
Re-run the scan after a service restart, then confirm the scanner's plugin set is up to date. Some scanners detect by banner version only and lag the official fix metadata by a release.
References
- Official vendor advisory: https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/01984754-e332-4500-99a2-10a7b79967f5?source=cve
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-3339
- CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- Additional reference: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/keep-backup-daily/tags/2.1.1/inc/functions.php#L855
- Additional reference: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/keep-backup-daily/trunk/inc/functions.php#L855
- Additional reference: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/keep-backup-daily/tags/2.1.1/inc/functions.php#L871
*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala on 2026-05-25. Sourced from the official vendor advisory, the NVD record, and the CISA KEV listing. Always confirm against the vendor advisory before applying changes in production.*