dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2025-13891

MEDIUM · 6.5 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 →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.13.3. This is due to the modula_list_folders AJAX endpoint that lacks proper path validation and base directory restrictions. While the endpoint verifies user capabilities (Author+ with upload_files and edit_posts permissions), it fails to validate that user-supplied directory paths reside within safe directories. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-level access and above, to enumerate arbitrary directories on the server via the modula_list_folders endpoint.

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 Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery WordPress plugin contains a path traversal vulnerability in the modula_list_folders AJAX endpoint. Although the endpoint properly validates user capabilities (Author+ with upload_files and edit_posts permissions), it fails to validate that user-supplied directory paths remain within allowed base directories. This allows authenticated attackers with Author-level access to enumerate arbitrary directories on the server by manipulating path parameters.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a version beyond 2.13.3 that includes proper path validation and base directory restrictions. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin until a fix is released.

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 checks

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

  1. Confirm the plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Image Gallery - Photo Grid & Video Gallery' (modula) or check wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder starting with 'modula'
    Affected if The plugin is active and installed
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    In Plugins list view, click on the plugin name to reveal the version number, or read the main plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/modula-gird-lite/ or modula-best-grid-gallery/
    Affected if Version is 2.13.3 or earlier (or version unknown and no patch is confirmed)
  3. Verify the modula_list_folders AJAX endpoint is accessible
    Check if the WordPress site responds to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=modula_list_folders - this requires a valid nonces and Author+ permissions to trigger the vulnerable code path
    Affected if The endpoint returns a valid JSON response instead of a 403 error, indicating the AJAX handler is registered and processing requests
  4. Confirm Author-level users exist with upload permissions
    In WordPress admin Users > All Users, check for any user with the Author role, or users with upload_files and edit_posts capabilities
    Affected if At least one user with Author (or higher) role with upload_files capability exists, allowing them to access the vulnerable endpoint
  5. Audit recent access logs for modula_list_folders activity
    Review server access logs (Apache/Nginx) for requests to admin-ajax.php with action=modula_list_folders and look for path parameters that traverse beyond expected directories (e.g., ../../../etc)
    Affected if Suspicious path traversal patterns are found in the logs

You are affected if the modula plugin is installed with version 2.13.3 or earlier AND the modula_list_folders AJAX endpoint is accessible to at least one Author-level user in your WordPress environment.

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 the plugin to a version beyond 2.13.3 that includes proper path validation and base directory restrictions. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin until a fix is released.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 2.13.4 or later

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find the 'Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery' plugin
  4. Click 'Update now' if an update is available, or manually download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/modula-best-grid-gallery/ and upload it

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-13891 — 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-2025-13891 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