CVEs / CVE-2020-25213
CVE-2020-25213: WordPress File Manager Plugin Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 3 Nov 2021
- critical 9.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 97.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
WordPress File Manager plugin contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows unauthenticated users to execute PHP code and upload malicious files on a target site.
Description
The File Manager (wp-file-manager) plugin before 6.9 for WordPress allows remote attackers to upload and execute arbitrary PHP code because it renames an unsafe example elFinder connector file to have the .php extension. This, for example, allows attackers to run the elFinder upload (or mkfile and put) command to write PHP code into the wp-content/plugins/wp-file-manager/lib/files/ directory. This was exploited in the wild in August and September 2020.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| n/a n/a | n/a | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 3 Nov 2021 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 3 May 2022 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | Apply updates per vendor instructions. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.8 criticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-434 |
References
- CVE-2020-25213 on NVD
- CVE-2020-25213 in the CISA KEV catalog
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160003/WordPress-File-Manager-6.8-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/171650/WordPress-File-Manager-6.9-Shell-Upload.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://github.com/w4fz5uck5/wp-file-manager-0day Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://hotforsecurity.bitdefender.com/blog/wordpress-websites-attacked-via-file-manager-plugin-vulnerability-24048.html Broken Link, Third Party Advisory
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/2373068 Patch
- https://seravo.com/blog/0-day-vulnerability-in-wp-file-manager/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://wordfence.com/blog/2020/09/700000-wordpress-users-affected-by-zero-day-vulnerability-in-file-manager-plugin/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-file-manager/#developers Product, Release Notes
- https://zdnet.com/article/millions-of-wordpress-sites-are-being-probed-attacked-with-recent-plugin-bug/ Press/Media Coverage
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-25213 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.