CVE-2012-6077
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 · uneditedW3 Total Cache before 0.9.2.5 allows remote attackers to retrieve password hash information due to insecure storage of database cache files.
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 · moderate confidenceThe W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin before version 0.9.2.5 stores database cache files in an insecure manner, allowing remote attackers to retrieve password hash information through direct access to these improperly protected cache files.
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< 0.9.2.5CVSS 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
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Identify W3 Total Cache plugin versionIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate W3 Total Cache (or Boldgrid W3 Total Cache). Check the version number displayed. Alternatively, inspect the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/w3-total-cache/plugin.php or /wp-content/plugins/boldgrid-w3-total-cache/plugin.phpAffected if Version is displayed and is lower than 0.9.2.5 (e.g., 0.9.2.4, 0.9.2.3, etc.)
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Confirm database caching is enabledIn WordPress admin, go to Performance > Database Cache. Check if the 'Enable' checkbox is checked or if the cache method is set to something other than 'Disabled'Affected if Database caching is enabled and the plugin version is below 0.9.2.5
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Locate database cache directoryIn Performance > Database Cache settings, note the 'Cache location' path (typically /wp-content/cache/db or /wp-content/w3tc-config). Check if this directory exists in the web rootAffected if Cache directory exists in a publicly accessible web path
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Verify cache file accessibilityAttempt to directly access a cache file via web browser. Common path format: /wp-content/cache/db/ or /wp-content/w3tc-cache/db/. Try accessing index files or any .php or .tmp files in these directoriesAffected if Cache files are directly accessible via HTTP without authentication
If the installed W3 Total Cache version is below 0.9.2.5 AND database caching is enabled with cache files stored in a web-accessible directory, the environment is likely affected by this vulnerability.
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.
From vendor data0.9.2.5
Upgrade W3 Total Cache to version 0.9.2.5 or later to remediate the insecure cache storage vulnerability.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-6077 — 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-2012-6077 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