Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Unauthenticated remote file read (PR:N, C:H) but three simultaneous non-default configuration prerequisites justify AC:H; no integrity or availability impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).
CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
The Perfmatters plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.4 via the 's' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. Exploitation requires the Local Google Fonts feature to be enabled (disabled by default), pretty permalinks to be active, and RSS feed links to remain enabled in the plugin settings.
AnalysisAI
Arbitrary file disclosure in the Perfmatters WordPress performance plugin (versions ≤ 2.6.4) lets unauthenticated attackers traverse the filesystem via the 's' parameter and read sensitive server files such as wp-config.php. The flaw only surfaces in a specific non-default configuration (Local Google Fonts enabled with pretty permalinks and RSS feed links active), and there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Reported by Wordfence with a CVSS of 7.5 (high).
Technical ContextAI
The affected component is Perfmatters, a commercial WordPress optimization plugin, specifically its Local Google Fonts feature implemented in inc/classes/Fonts.php. The root cause is CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory / Path Traversal): user-supplied input in the 's' request parameter is used to build a filesystem path without sufficient sanitization, so sequences such as ../ allow reading files outside the intended fonts directory. Because the feature registers an endpoint reachable through WordPress rewrite rules (pretty permalinks) and RSS feed handling, the traversal is exposed to unauthenticated HTTP requests. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:perfmatters:perfmatters:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers the plugin across the affected version range.
RemediationAI
Upgrade Perfmatters to the first release after 2.6.4 that addresses this issue - the provided data does not name an exact fixed version, so confirm the patched build against the vendor changelog at https://perfmatters.io/docs/changelog/ before deploying (do not assume a version number). As an immediate compensating control until patched, disable the Local Google Fonts feature in the plugin settings, which fully removes the vulnerable endpoint at the cost of losing local font hosting (fonts will load from Google or fall back per your theme); alternatively, disabling the RSS feed links option in Perfmatters also breaks the required precondition. If neither can be changed, restrict access to the fonts endpoint at the web server/WAF layer and monitor for requests containing traversal sequences (../) in the 's' parameter. Reference the Wordfence advisory (https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2c0082ff-2a33-44e9-b0d0-8b9a404ab648?source=cve) for detection guidance.
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-41272
GHSA-8456-6w7p-xg3h