CVE-2012-6079
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 exposes sensitive cached database information which allows remote attackers to download this information via their hash keys.
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 confidenceW3 Total Cache WordPress plugin before version 0.9.2.5 contains an information disclosure vulnerability where sensitive cached database information is exposed. Remote unauthenticated attackers can access this data by using hash keys to request the cached files directly.
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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Check W3 Total Cache plugin versionIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'W3 Total Cache' or 'Boldgrid W3 Total Cache' to see the installed version numberAffected if Version is below 0.9.2.5
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Verify database caching is enabledGo to Performance > Database Cache in the WordPress admin panel. Check if database caching is turned on and note the cache directory locationAffected if Database caching is enabled and the cache directory is web-accessible
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Inspect cache directory for sensitive dataNavigate to the cache directory (typically wp-content/cache/ or wp-content/w3tc-cache/) and check if database cache files exist. These files may contain database query results with sensitive informationAffected if Database cache files are present and readable via direct HTTP requests to the cache directory
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Confirm cache directory is web-accessibleAttempt to access a cached file directly via browser or curl (for example: http://yoursite.com/wp-content/cache/db/_index.php or similar hash-named files). The vulnerability requires the cache directory to be accessible over the webAffected if Cache files can be retrieved via direct HTTP requests without authentication
You are affected if W3 Total Cache or Boldgrid W3 Total Cache version is below 0.9.2.5 AND database caching is enabled with the cache directory web-accessible, allowing unauthenticated attackers to retrieve cached database information.
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. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the plugin or restricting access to the cache directory via web server configuration.
- 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-2012-6079 — 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-2012-6079 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