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PHP File Inclusion (RFI/LFI)Weakness · CWE-98

CVE-2012-10025

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-08-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The WordPress plugin Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) version 3.5.1 and below contains a remote file inclusion (RFI) vulnerability in core/actions/export.php. When the PHP configuration directive allow_url_include is enabled (default: Off), an unauthenticated attacker can exploit the acf_abspath POST parameter to include and execute arbitrary remote PHP code. This leads to remote code execution under the web server’s context, allowing full compromise of the host.

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 confidence

The ACF plugin versions 3.5.1 and below in core/actions/export.php have an unauthenticated RFI vulnerability. The acf_abspath POST parameter allows attackers to include remote PHP files when allow_url_include is enabled (default Off), leading to RCE.

MitigationUpgrade ACF to a patched version and ensure allow_url_include=Off in php.ini. If immediate upgrade isn't possible, disable the plugin or add WAF rules blocking requests to core/actions/export.php.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS 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
Privileges
None
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Advanced Custom Fields plugin is installed
    Check your WordPress installation under wp-content/plugins/ for the advanced-custom-fields folder, or view the plugin in the WordPress admin Plugins page
    Affected if The plugin is present in the plugins directory
  2. Determine installed ACF plugin version
    Open the main plugin file (usually advanced-custom-fields/acf.php) and locate the Version header in the plugin comment block, or check wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields/readme.txt for the version
    Affected if The version is 3.5.1 or lower
  3. Confirm vulnerable file exists
    Verify the file core/actions/export.php exists within the advanced-custom-fields plugin directory
    Affected if The file wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields/core/actions/export.php is present
  4. Check PHP allow_url_include setting
    Run phpinfo() or check your php.ini for the allow_url_include directive. From command line: php -i | grep allow_url_include
    Affected if allow_url_include is set to On (enabled)

You are affected if you have Advanced Custom Fields plugin version 3.5.1 or below with the core/actions/export.php file present AND PHP allow_url_include is enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade ACF to a patched version and ensure allow_url_include=Off in php.ini. If immediate upgrade isn't possible, disable the plugin or add WAF rules blocking requests to core/actions/export.php.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Advanced Custom Fields version 3.5.2 or later (current stable release recommended)

  1. 1. Backup your WordPress database and files before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Locate the Advanced Custom Fields plugin in the list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. 5. If no update is shown, manually download the latest ACF version from wordpress.org and replace the plugin files via FTP or the WordPress plugin uploader
  6. 6. Verify the plugin is running at version 3.5.2 or higher after update
Caveat Minimal risk - upgrading within the same major version (3.x) typically has no breaking changes; ensure compatibility with your WordPress version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-10025 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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