WordPressCMS
CVE-2008-2392
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedUnrestricted file upload vulnerability in WordPress 2.5.1 and earlier might allow remote authenticated administrators to upload and execute arbitrary PHP files via the Upload section in the Write Tabs area of the dashboard.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceWordPress 2.5.1 and earlier contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability in the Write Posts area's Upload section. Authenticated administrators can upload arbitrary PHP files that can then be executed on the server, leading to complete system compromise.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
WordPressCMS
<= 2.5.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed WordPress versionLog into WordPress admin dashboard and look at the version number typically displayed at the bottom right of the admin page, or inspect the wp-includes/version.php file for the $wp_version variableAffected if The version number is 2.5.1 or lower
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Verify administrator account existsNavigate to Users > Authors & Users in the WordPress admin panel and check if any user has the Administrator role assignedAffected if At least one user account with Administrator role exists in the system
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Confirm Write Posts upload feature is accessibleNavigate to Posts > Add New in the WordPress admin panel and locate the Upload section in the Write Posts areaAffected if The Upload/Media button or section is visible and accessible in the post editor
A user is affected if their WordPress installation is version 2.5.1 or earlier AND they have at least one administrator account with access to the Write Posts upload functionality.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to a newer WordPress version that addresses this vulnerability. Additionally, implement file type restrictions on uploads and limit administrator access to reduce attack surface.
WordPress 2.5.2 or later (preferably latest stable release)
- Verify current WordPress version by accessing /wp-admin/ or checking wp-includes/version.php
- Backup the entire WordPress database and files before proceeding
- Download WordPress 2.5.2 or later from the official WordPress repository (wordpress.org)
- Update WordPress core files either via the built-in update mechanism or by manually uploading the new files
- After upgrade, verify the version has been updated successfully
- Ensure that only trusted administrators have access to the WordPress admin dashboard
- Review uploaded files and remove any suspicious PHP files that may have been uploaded
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in WordPress
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-2392 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-2392 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data