Unrestricted File UploadWeakness · CWE-434

CVE-2025-12352

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-07
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
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 Gravity Forms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to missing file type validation in the copy_post_image() function in all versions up to, and including, 2.9.20. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files on the affected site's server which may make remote code execution possible. This only impacts sites that have allow_url_fopen set to `On`, the post creation form enabled along with a file upload field for the post

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 Gravity Forms WordPress plugin is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to missing file type validation in the copy_post_image() function. Unauthenticated attackers can upload malicious files leading to potential remote code execution, but exploitation requires three conditions: allow_url_fopen enabled, post creation form enabled, and a file upload field present in that form.

MitigationUpdate to Gravity Forms version 2.9.21 or later when available. Until then, disable allow_url_fopen in php.ini, or disable the post creation form feature with file upload fields as a temporary workaround.

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
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Gravity Forms version
    In WordPress admin, go to Forms > About, or check the plugins list in WP-Admin > Plugins. Compare the installed version to 2.9.21.
    Affected if The installed version is below 2.9.21 and the plugin is active.
  2. Verify PHP allow_url_fopen setting
    Check php.ini for 'allow_url_fopen = On' or run 'php -i | grep allow_url_fopen' from command line. Alternatively, use a PHP info page or plugin to view PHP settings.
    Affected if allow_url_fopen is enabled (set to On or 1).
  3. Confirm post creation form feature is active
    In WordPress admin, go to Forms > Settings > Post Creation. Check if any forms have post creation enabled.
    Affected if At least one form has the post creation feature turned on.
  4. Identify file upload fields in post creation forms
    In WordPress admin, edit each form with post creation enabled. Look for any File Upload field type added to the form.
    Affected if A file upload field exists in a form that also has post creation enabled.

You are affected if Gravity Forms is below version 2.9.21 AND allow_url_fopen is enabled AND you have a form with both post creation and a file upload field 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

Update to Gravity Forms version 2.9.21 or later when available. Until then, disable allow_url_fopen in php.ini, or disable the post creation form feature with file upload fields as a temporary workaround.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Gravity Forms 2.9.21 or latest available version

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate Gravity Forms plugin
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update to the latest patched version
  5. 5. Verify the update completes successfully
  6. 6. Confirm the updated version is 2.9.21 or later

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12352 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-12352 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
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