CVE-2025-10488
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 · uneditedThe Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory Plugin with Classified Ads Listings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file move due to insufficient file path validation in the add_listing_action AJAX action in all versions up to, and including, 8.4.8. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to move arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is moved (such as wp-config.php).
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 confidenceThe Directorist WordPress plugin (versions up to 8.4.8) has an unauthenticated arbitrary file move vulnerability in the add_listing_action AJAX endpoint due to insufficient file path validation. Attackers can move arbitrary files on the server, potentially moving wp-config.php to achieve remote code execution.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
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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Locate Directorist plugin installationCheck your WordPress site's wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'directorist' or similar. Also check via WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Directorist' or 'Directorist - Business Directory Plugin'.Affected if The Directorist plugin folder exists in wp-content/plugins/ and appears in the WordPress plugins list.
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Determine installed plugin versionOpen the main plugin file (typically directorist/directorist.php) and look for the 'Version:' header in the plugin comments, or check the readme.txt file in the plugin directory.Affected if The reported version is 8.4.8 or any version lower than 8.4.9.
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Verify plugin statusIn WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, confirm whether Directorist is currently activated.Affected if The plugin shows as 'Active' status.
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Test vulnerable AJAX endpoint exposureSend a GET or POST request to your site's /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=add_listing_action endpoint. For unauthenticated detection, observe if the endpoint responds (returns any JSON or error) without requiring login credentials.Affected if The endpoint returns a response without authentication, indicating it is accessible to unauthenticated users.
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Check for file move capability in request handlingReview the plugin files in the directorist/includes/ajax/ directory, specifically looking for add_listing_action handler code that processes file path parameters without validation.Affected if Code exists that accepts file path parameters in the AJAX handler and performs file operations (move, rename) without proper sanitization.
You are affected if Directorist plugin version 8.4.8 or lower is installed AND active AND the add_listing_action AJAX endpoint is accessible without authentication.
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 dataUpdate the plugin to version 8.4.9 or later which contains the fix. Until then, disable the affected AJAX endpoint or implement web application firewall rules to block malicious file move requests.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-10488 — 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-2025-10488 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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- 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