What the vulnerability does
01Description
The Abandoned Contact Form 7 plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized arbitrary post deletion in versions up to, and including, 2.2. This is due to a missing capability check and missing nonce validation in the action__remove_abandoned() function, which is registered to both the wp_ajax_remove_abandoned and wp_ajax_nopriv_remove_abandoned hooks. The handler takes a user-supplied recover_id parameter from $_POST and passes it directly to wp_delete_post() with the force-delete flag set to true, without verifying that the ID belongs to the plugin's own cf7af_data post type. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to permanently delete arbitrary posts, pages, or other content on the affected site by sending a single admin-ajax.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
Abandoned Contact Form 7 versions 2.2 and earlier lack proper authorization checks, allowing unauthenticated attackers to modify form data or settings. The vulnerability requires no user interaction and is remotely exploitable over the network. Site administrators should update to a version newer than 2.2 immediately.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Modify contact form data or settings without authentication.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
Contact forms may be altered or disabled by unauthorized parties, disrupting visitor communication.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Network access only; no authentication or user interaction required.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
June 16, 2026
CVE published
June 16, 2026
Record updated
