dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2025-15020

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-14
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 Gotham Block Extra Light plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to, and including, 1.5.0 via the 'ghostban' shortcode. 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.

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 · moderate confidence

The Gotham Block Extra Light WordPress plugin (versions up to 1.5.0) contains an arbitrary file read vulnerability in the 'ghostban' shortcode. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can exploit this to read arbitrary files on the server by manipulating file path parameters passed to the shortcode handler.

MitigationUpgrade to a version beyond 1.5.0 when available. Until then, disable the plugin if not essential, and review user roles to ensure only trusted users have contributor-level or higher access.

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. Verify Gotham Block Extra Light plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Gotham Block Extra Light' in the plugin list.
    Affected if Plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In the Plugins list, click on the plugin details or view the plugin files to locate the version number in the plugin header comment (typically in the main PHP file).
    Affected if Version is 1.5.0 or earlier (any version up to and including 1.5.0)
  3. Confirm the ghostban shortcode is available
    Search the plugin source files for 'add_shortcode' calls registering 'ghostban', or test by adding [ghostban] in a post/page to see if it renders.
    Affected if The shortcode is registered and accessible on the site
  4. Identify users with contributor-level or higher access
    Go to WordPress admin > Users. Review the user list and check which accounts have roles of Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator.
    Affected if Any untrusted or unknown users have contributor-level access or higher

You are affected if Gotham Block Extra Light plugin (version 1.5.0 or earlier) is installed and either the ghostban shortcode is active or untrusted users have contributor-level access.

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

Upgrade to a version beyond 1.5.0 when available. Until then, disable the plugin if not essential, and review user roles to ensure only trusted users have contributor-level or higher access.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version higher than 1.5.0 (check wordpress.org for current release)

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate Gotham Block Extra Light plugin
  4. Check if an update is available (version higher than 1.5.0)
  5. If update available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. If no update shown, manually download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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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-2025-15020 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data