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PHP File Inclusion (RFI/LFI)Weakness · CWE-98

CVE-2025-13641

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-18
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 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 3.59.12 via the 'template' shortcode parameter. This is due to insufficient path validation that allows absolute paths to be provided. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server, bypassing web server restrictions like .htaccess. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure, code execution in the WordPress context, and potential remote code execution if combined with arbitrary 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

Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the NextGEN Gallery WordPress plugin's 'template' shortcode parameter. Insufficient path validation allows authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher to include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server by providing absolute file paths, bypassing web server restrictions like .htaccess.

MitigationUpdate to the latest plugin version once the vendor releases a patch. As an interim measure, restrict contributor-level user permissions and implement proper input validation on the template parameter to prevent arbitrary file path inclusion.

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. Confirm NextGEN Gallery plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'NextGEN Gallery' in the list
    Affected if Plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify the installed NextGEN Gallery version
    Click on the plugin name in the Plugins page to view the version number, or check the plugin file header in /wp-content/plugins/nextgen-gallery/ folder
    Affected if Version is lower than the patched version released by the vendor
  3. Verify user role permissions
    Review WordPress user accounts at Users > All Users and check which users have Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles
    Affected if Any user with Contributor-level or higher access exists on the site (these roles can exploit the vulnerability)
  4. Inspect shortcode usage for template parameter
    Search post content, page content, or widget text for shortcode patterns like [nggallery template=...] or [ngg template=...]
    Affected if The template shortcode parameter is in use, making the attack surface active
  5. Check for suspicious file inclusion activity
    Review web server access logs for patterns like 'template=' with absolute paths (e.g., /etc/passwd, /var/www/)
    Affected if Logs show requests with absolute file paths in the template parameter value

User is affected if NextGEN Gallery plugin is installed, the version is unpatched, and any Contributor-level or higher user account exists on the site.

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 the latest plugin version once the vendor releases a patch. As an interim measure, restrict contributor-level user permissions and implement proper input validation on the template parameter to prevent arbitrary file path inclusion.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version of NextGEN Gallery plugin (version higher than 3.59.12)

  1. 1. Ensure you have a complete backup of your WordPress site before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  4. 4. Find the 'Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery' plugin
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. 6. Verify the update completed successfully
  7. 7. Test that the NextGEN Gallery functionality works as expected on your site
  8. 8. Confirm that Contributor-level users can no longer exploit the 'template' shortcode parameter to include arbitrary files
Caveat Review plugin settings after upgrade as minor configuration changes may occur in major security updates

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2025-13641 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data