dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2025-12637

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 Elastic Theme Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to a dynamic code generation feature in the process_theme function in all versions up to, and including, 0.0.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to upload arbitrary files on the affected site's server which may make remote code execution possible.

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 Elastic Theme Editor WordPress plugin (versions up to 0.0.3) contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in its process_theme function. The function improperly implements dynamic code generation, allowing any authenticated user with Subscriber-level permissions or higher to upload arbitrary files to the server, potentially achieving remote code execution.

MitigationImmediately remove or deactivate the Elastic Theme Editor plugin as it is likely abandoned (version 0.0.3 with no patch indicated). Replace with an alternative theme editing solution or implement proper file upload validation and capability checks if continued use is required.

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Verify plugin installation and version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate 'Elastic Theme Editor'. Check the version number displayed below the plugin name.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the version is 0.0.3 or lower.
  2. Confirm plugin is active
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and check if Elastic Theme Editor shows as 'Active'.
    Affected if The plugin is active and vulnerable.
  3. Check for subscriber-level users
    In WordPress admin, go to Users and review the role assigned to each user. Subscribers and any role above Subscriber (Editor, Author, Contributor, Administrator) can trigger the vulnerability.
    Affected if Any user with Subscriber-level permission or higher exists on the site.
  4. Inspect upload directory for suspicious files
    Check the /wp-content/uploads/ directory and subdirectories for recently created .php files, .phar files, or other executable files that were not intentionally uploaded.
    Affected if Unexpected PHP or executable files exist in upload directories.
  5. Review access logs for process_theme activity
    Search web server access logs (Apache/Nginx) for requests to endpoints containing 'process_theme' or 'elastic-theme-editor' with file upload patterns.
    Affected if POST requests to process_theme function are present in logs.

The site is affected if Elastic Theme Editor plugin versions 0.0.3 or lower is installed and active, and any subscriber-level user account exists.

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

Immediately remove or deactivate the Elastic Theme Editor plugin as it is likely abandoned (version 0.0.3 with no patch indicated). Replace with an alternative theme editing solution or implement proper file upload validation and capability checks if continued use is required.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a version newer than 0.0.3 (check WordPress plugin repository for latest fixed release)

  1. Identify the current version of the Elastic Theme Editor plugin installed on the WordPress site
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. Locate the Elastic Theme Editor plugin
  4. Check if an update is available. If updates are available, review the changelog to confirm the update addresses the arbitrary file upload vulnerability (CVE-2025-12637)
  5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. If no update is available from the WordPress plugin repository, consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a patched version is released
  7. Verify the update was successful and the plugin is functioning correctly
Caveat Review plugin settings and functionality after upgrade as with any plugin update

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

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12637 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-12637 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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