# CVE-2026-1557: WP Responsive Images - Path Traversal

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2026-1557 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2026-1557

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Background Noise. Continuous low-level scanning or exploitation attempts are observed, mostly opportunistic and automated.
- **CVSS score:** 7.5
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Stuartbates WP Responsive Images
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'))
- **Tags:** wordpress, cms

## Description

The WP Responsive Images plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 1.0 via the 'src' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2026-1557](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2026-1557) is a path traversal vulnerability in the WP Responsive Images plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.0. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to exploit the 'src' parameter to read arbitrary files on the server, potentially exposing sensitive information such as configuration files or credentials.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 1st of April 2026.

According to CrowdSec data, while opportunistic exploitation dominates, a portion of threat actors trying to exploit CVE-2026-1557 apply basic targeting methods such as port or service detection. This indicates emerging patterns of selective targeting.
In addition, according to the CrowdSec network, attack volume against CVE-2026-1557 has dipped slightly compared to the previous week. Although still commonly targeted, the decline suggests a cooling-off period. Long-term relevance remains, but attention is waning.

Attackers exploit the WP Responsive Images plugin by sending requests to `/wp-content/plugins/wp-responsive-images/image_handler.php` with the `src` parameter set to sensitive file paths, such as `/wp-config.php`, to read arbitrary files from the server.

## Timeline

- 2026-02-26: CVE Published. CVE-2026-1557 is published to NVD.
- 2026-04-01: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2026-1557 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2026-04-02: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2026-1557 for the first time.

## References

- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2026/CVE-2026-1557.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2026-1557) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2026-1557. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.