CVE-2020-25213
CVE-2020-25213 is a security flaw in WordPress File Manager Plugin, the software behind about four in ten websites. Attackers can run their own code on WordPress File Manager Plugin from anywhere, without logging in. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 3 Nov 2021.[1]
WordPress File Manager Plugin is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. WordPress has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it a remote code execution in WordPress File Manager Plugin. In its words: “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.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “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.”[2]
The underlying weakness is unrestricted file upload (CWE-434), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 9.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it critical, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; WordPress’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as WordPress File Manager Plugin.
Every device with WordPress File Manager Plugin needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 3 Nov 2021, 420 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 3 May 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 97%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
WordPress has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update WordPress File Manager Plugin now.Install the latest update from WordPress on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 9.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 97%.[4] |
See also
Other WordPress flaws
- CVE-2026-87902, WordPress Core: remote file inclusion ·
- CVE-2026-63030, WordPress Core: interpretation conflict ·
- CVE-2026-60137, WordPress Core: SQL injection ·
- CVE-2020-11738, WordPress Snap Creek Duplicator Plugin: file download ·
- CVE-2019-9978, WordPress Social Warfare Plugin: cross-site scripting (XSS) ·
Other unrestricted file upload flaws
- CVE-2026-48356, Adobe Commerce and Magento: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2026-56291, Balbooa Forms: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2026-48939, iCagenda: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2026-48908, JoomShaper SP Page Builder: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2024-7694, TeamT5 ThreatSonar Anti-Ransomware: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2021-42258, BQE BillQuick Web Suite: SQL injection ·
- CVE-2021-42013, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-41773, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-40539, Zoho ManageEngine: aDSelfService plus authentication bypass ·
- CVE-2021-40444, Microsoft MSHTML: remote code execution ·
Every WordPress flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in November 2021
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “WordPress File Manager Plugin Remote Code Execution Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 3 Nov 2021.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2020-25213 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 9 Sep 2020.
- ^ WordPress. Advisories and fixes: plugins.trac.wordpress.org, wordpress.org.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.973, percentile 99.9, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2020-25213”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.