# CVE-2026-84098: Directorist arbitrary listing deletion in WordPress plugin

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84098-the-directorist-ai-powered-business-directory-listings-classified  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-23. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-84098 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-09-23

The Directorist WordPress plugin, which powers business directories and classified ads listings, contains an authorization flaw that allows any authenticated subscriber to delete listings belonging to other users. An attacker with a basic subscriber account could remove business listings from the directory, disrupting the platform's operations and potentially causing data loss for business owners whose listings are deleted.

Technologies: [Directorist](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/directorist-directorist). Vendors: [Directorist](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/directorist).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-84098 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-84098 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-84098?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 23 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Directorist 3.1.0 through 8.9.4.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-84098?** A patch was published on 2026-09-23: Version 8.9.5 fixes the vulnerability Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-84098 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-84098?** Check whether you run Directorist 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 plugin fails to verify listing ownership before processing deletion requests via the remove_listing action, allowing authenticated subscribers and higher-privileged users to delete arbitrary listings. This is an incomplete fix of prior CVEs (CVE-2023-1889, CVE-2023-35052), with a separate unpatched deletion code path remaining vulnerable from version 3.1.0 through 8.9.4. The vulnerability requires authentication but no additional user interaction, and allows attackers to delete any listing in the system.

## Affected products

- Directorist Directorist 3.1.0 through 8.9.4

## Timeline

- 2026-09-21: disclosed
- 2026-09-23: patched: Version 8.9.5 fixes the vulnerability

## References

- [https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/b5f83718-84ff-49e4-9ad7-395cc0ab494b/](https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/b5f83718-84ff-49e4-9ad7-395cc0ab494b/)

## Related threats

- [Directorist WordPress plugin authorization bypass in listing status change](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-118531-the-directorist-ai-powered-business-directory-listings)
- [Directorist WordPress plugin access control bypass in payment retry](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-118534-the-directorist-ai-powered-business-directory-listings)
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