What the vulnerability does
01Description
The Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.6. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the download_plugin_bulk and download_theme_bulk functions. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to archive all the sites plugins and themes and place them in the `wp-content/uploads/` directory via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
The Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard plugin for WordPress contains a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in versions up to 1.9.6. An attacker can craft a malicious link or page that, when visited by a logged-in site administrator, performs unwanted actions on the site without the administrator's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability requires user interaction but does not require authentication.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Trick a site admin into performing unwanted actions via a malicious link or page.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
An attacker could perform administrative actions on your site if you click a malicious link while logged in.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Site admin must visit a malicious link or page while logged into WordPress.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
December 17, 2025
CVE published
April 8, 2026
Record updated
