CVE-2025-12960
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 Simple CSV Table plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.1 via the `href` parameter in the `[csv]` shortcode. This is due to insufficient path validation before concatenating user-supplied input to a base directory path. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information such as database credentials and authentication 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 · high confidenceThe Simple CSV Table WordPress plugin before version 1.0.2 contains a directory traversal vulnerability in its `[csv]` shortcode handler. Attackers with Contributor-level access can manipulate the `href` parameter using path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../wp-config.php) to read arbitrary files on the server due to insufficient input validation before path concatenation.
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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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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Verify Simple CSV Table plugin is installedAccess WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, and locate 'Simple CSV Table' in the list. Note the version number displayed.Affected if The plugin is installed and the displayed version is below 1.0.2 (e.g., 1.0.1, 1.0.0, or no version shown)
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Check plugin version via file inspectionIf admin access is unavailable, access the plugin directory via FTP or file manager. Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/simple-csv-table/ and open the main plugin file (usually simple-csv-table.php or similar). Locate the 'Version:' header in the plugin comments.Affected if The version declared in the plugin file header is lower than 1.0.2
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Identify use of the vulnerable shortcodeSearch the WordPress database or theme files for the presence of '[csv]' shortcode. In phpMyAdmin, query wp_posts for post_content containing '[csv' or '[csvtable'. Alternatively, search theme template files for do_shortcode('[csv').Affected if The [csv] shortcode is actively used in any post, page, or widget content
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Confirm Contributor-level user accounts existNavigate to WordPress admin > Users > All Users. Review the role column for any accounts assigned 'Contributor' role. Alternatively, query the wp_usermeta table where meta_key = 'wp_capabilities' and meta_value contains 'contributor'.Affected if At least one user account has Contributor-level permissions or higher (since the vulnerability is exploitable by Contributors)
You are affected if the Simple CSV Table plugin version is below 1.0.2 AND the [csv] shortcode is in use on your site AND Contributor-level users exist with access to manipulate the href parameter.
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 Simple CSV Table plugin to version 1.0.2 or later which includes proper path validation. As an interim measure, restrict Contributor-level user permissions until the patch is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12960 — 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-2025-12960 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