{"id":86720,"date":"2026-03-18T21:29:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T21:29:10","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"cve-2025-5061-wp-import-export-lite-plugin-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-5061-wp-import-export-lite-plugin-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-5061: WP Import Export Lite Plugin Arbitrary File Upload Vulnerability in WordPress<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

The WP Import Export Lite plugin for WordPress, popular among website developers, is susceptible to an arbitrary file upload vulnerability. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files on the server hosting the affected site, potentially leading to remote code execution. This vulnerability is of high importance due to the potential for system compromise and data leakage.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-5061
\nSeverity: High (7.5 CVSS Score)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: Low (Subscriber-level access and above)
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential system compromise and data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

WP Import Export Lite Plugin for WordPress | Up to and including 3.9.29<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

This vulnerability stems from the ‘wpie_parse_upload_data’ function in the WP Import Export Lite plugin. The function lacks proper file type validation, allowing authenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files to the server hosting the affected WordPress site. Once a malicious file is uploaded, remote code execution may be possible.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:<\/p>\n

POST \/wpie_parse_upload_data HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: multipart\/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW\n------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"malicious.php\"\nContent-Type: application\/php\n\n------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW--<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this sample, an attacker sends a POST request to the vulnerable endpoint, uploading a malicious PHP file. The server, failing to validate the file type, allows the upload, potentially resulting in remote code execution.<\/p>\n
Mitigation<\/strong><\/p>\n
To mitigate this vulnerability, apply the vendor patch released in version 3.9.29. As a temporary solution, consider using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to detect and prevent malicious file uploads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview The WP Import Export Lite plugin for WordPress, popular among website developers, is susceptible to an arbitrary file upload vulnerability. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files on the server hosting the affected site, potentially leading to remote code execution. This vulnerability is of high importance due to the potential for system […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-86720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t