Overview
In the constantly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, a new vulnerability has been identified in the WordPress ecosystem. The ‘Embed PDF for WPForms’ plugin, widely used for integrating PDF functionality in WordPress sites, has been found to be susceptible to arbitrary file uploads. This vulnerability, tagged as CVE-2025-10647, exposes websites to potential system compromise and data leakage, if exploited successfully.
The vulnerability is significant due to the high prevalence of WordPress sites and the wide use of the WPForms plugin. It is essential for administrators, developers, and security teams to understand the details of this vulnerability – its workings, impact, and mitigation methods to ensure the safety of their digital assets.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-10647
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Subscriber-level access
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Embed PDF for WPForms | All versions up to and including 1.1.5
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability resides in the ‘ajax_handler_download_pdf_media’ function of the plugin. This function handles file uploads but lacks appropriate file type validation. As a result, an attacker with at least subscriber-level access can remotely upload arbitrary files on the server where the site is hosted.
The lack of file type validation means that an attacker can upload files with malicious content, such as scripts or executables. Once the malicious file is uploaded, the attacker can execute the file remotely, leading to potential system compromise or unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
Here’s a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
{ "action": "wpforms_media_upload", "file": "malicious_script.php" }In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to the WordPress admin-ajax.php file, which handles AJAX requests in WordPress. The ‘action’ parameter is set to ‘wpforms_media_upload’, which is the action that triggers the vulnerable function. The ‘file’ parameter contains the name of the malicious file being uploaded.
Mitigation Guidance
Users of the vulnerable plugin are advised to apply the vendor’s patch immediately. As a temporary measure, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used to block or alert on suspicious file uploads. Regular monitoring and auditing of server logs can also help in identifying any unauthorized file uploads.
