# CVE-2026-9282: W3 Total Cache <= 2.9.4 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read via 'f_array[]' Parameter

- Exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-07-11
- CVSS: 7.5 HIGH (v3.1)
- EPSS: 2.9% (87th percentile)
- CWE: CWE-22

The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.9.4 via the setupSources function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. Exploitation requires enabling manual minify mode and supplying a manual-format minify filename so that the hash is empty and the f_array[] entries are not overwritten before reaching setupSources().

## Edge WAF coverage (claimed by vendors, not measured)

| Vendor | Status | First rule | Days after publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | No public claim | — | — |
| AWS | No public claim | — | — |
| Microsoft Azure | No public claim | — | — |
| Google Cloud | No public claim | — | — |
| Fastly | Before feed history | — | — |
| F5 | Rule published | 2026-10-21 | 102 |
| Akamai | No public source | — | — |
| OWASP CRS | No public claim | — | — |

### F5

- 2026-10-21 · new · rule 200009395
  > Added: signature 200009395 "W3 Total Cache Path Traversal" (Information Leakage, risk Medium), systems: WordPress. References: CVE-2026-9282.
  Source: https://docs.cloud.f5.com/docs-v2/platform/changelogs/security-details-changelog

## Our test (measured)

- OWASP Core Rule Set 4.25.0, paranoia level 1, anomaly threshold 5, default CRS settings: partial (1 of 2 requests blocked), template CVE-2026-9282, 2026-11-02
- OWASP Core Rule Set 4.25.0, paranoia level 2, anomaly threshold 5, default CRS settings: partial (1 of 2 requests blocked), template CVE-2026-9282, 2026-11-02

"No public claim" means no vendor statement names this CVE; "Before feed history" means the CVE is older than the vendor feed. In both cases generic rules may still block it.

HTML: https://cve.vigilbase.com/cve/CVE-2026-9282 · JSON: https://cve.vigilbase.com/api/v1/cves/CVE-2026-9282