# CVE-2026-16294: Blubrry PowerPress server-side request forgery in Podcast Episode Chapters URL

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-16294-blubrry-powerpress-server-side-request-forgery-in-podcast-episode  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-08-12. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-16294 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.1 · Published 2026-08-12

Blubrry PowerPress is a popular WordPress plugin that enables podcast hosting and episode management directly within WordPress. A flaw in versions before 11.17.1 allows users with minimal permissions (Contributor role) to trigger server-side requests to arbitrary URLs without validation. An attacker can exploit this to read local files, probe internal network services, or access cloud metadata endpoints—potentially exposing sensitive configuration, credentials, or internal infrastructure details.

Vendors: [Blubrry](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/blubrry).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-16294 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-16294 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-16294?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.1, published 12 August 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Blubrry PowerPress before 11.17.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-16294?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-16294 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-16294?** Check whether you run Blubrry PowerPress at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is a server-side request forgery (SSRF) in the Podcast Episode Chapters URL handler. When a Contributor-level user edits their own podcast episode post and fills the "Chapters URL" field with a malicious URL, the plugin fetches that URL server-side via file_get_contents() without any validation—no URL scheme allowlisting, no internal IP blocking, and no SSRF guard (despite the plugin implementing such a guard on a related chapter-image fetch). The Chapters URL is stored verbatim and fetched again each time the post is opened in the editor, requiring no additional user interaction. An attacker can abuse this to perform local file inclusion (file:// URLs), probe internal HTTP services (localhost, private IPs), or query cloud metadata endpoints (169.254.169.254). The plugin version 11.17.1 onwards contains the fix; affected versions are 11.17 and earlier.

## Affected products

- Blubrry PowerPress before 11.17.1

## Timeline

- 2026-08-10: disclosed
- 2026-08-12: advisory

## References

- [https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/9363aaff-40d6-41c0-8edd-cbf671240ad2/](https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/9363aaff-40d6-41c0-8edd-cbf671240ad2/)

## Related threats

- [Blubrry PowerPress Stored XSS in Podcast Episode settings](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-16293-blubrry-powerpress-stored-xss-in-podcast-episode-settings)