dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2025-12824

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-12
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 Player Leaderboard plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.2 via the 'player_leaderboard' shortcode. This is due to the plugin using an unsanitized user-supplied value from the shortcode's 'mode' attribute in a call to include() without proper path validation. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve full remote code execution if combined with file upload capabilities.

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 Player Leaderboard WordPress plugin has a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in all versions up to 1.0.2. The plugin uses an unsanitized 'mode' attribute from the 'player_leaderboard' shortcode in a PHP include() statement without proper path validation, allowing authenticated attackers with Contributor-level or higher access to include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a version newer than 1.0.2 when available, or disable the plugin until a patch is released. If immediate remediation is required, implement strict input validation on the 'mode' parameter to restrict it to allowed values and prevent path traversal sequences.

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 Player Leaderboard plugin is installed
    Navigate to WP Admin > Plugins and locate 'Player Leaderboard' in the list, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'player-leaderboard' or similar
    Affected if The plugin folder exists in the WordPress plugins directory
  2. Determine installed plugin version
    In WP Admin > Plugins, click on the plugin to view its details, or read the main plugin PHP file header for the 'Version' field
    Affected if The reported version is 1.0.2 or earlier
  3. Confirm plugin is active
    In WP Admin > Plugins, check if 'Player Leaderboard' shows as 'Active'
    Affected if The plugin is currently activated on the site
  4. Identify use of the vulnerable shortcode
    Search posts, pages, and widget content for the string '[player_leaderboard' using WP Admin search or by querying the wp_posts table in the database
    Affected if Any content contains the 'player_leaderboard' shortcode with a 'mode' attribute
  5. Check for users with Contributor-level access or higher
    In WP Admin > Users, review user roles; contributors, authors, editors, and administrators all have privileges at or above Contributor level
    Affected if At least one user account has Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator role

The environment is affected if the Player Leaderboard plugin version 1.0.2 or earlier is installed, active, and the shortcode is in use, combined with at least one user having Contributor-level access or higher.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the plugin to a version newer than 1.0.2 when available, or disable the plugin until a patch is released. If immediate remediation is required, implement strict input validation on the 'mode' parameter to restrict it to allowed values and prevent path traversal sequences.

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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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-2025-12824 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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