CVE-2025-15491
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 Post Slides WordPress plugin through 1.0.1 does not validate some shortcode attributes before using them to generate paths passed to include function/s, allowing any authenticated users such as with contributor or higher roles to perform LFI attacks
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 Post Slides WordPress plugin through version 1.0.1 fails to validate shortcode attributes before using them in include() function calls, enabling authenticated users with contributor or higher roles to perform Local File Inclusion (LFI) attacks via path traversal in shortcode parameters.
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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/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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Confirm Post Slides plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Post Slides'. Note the version number displayed there.Affected if Plugin is installed and version is 1.0.1 or lower
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Locate the plugin shortcode handler fileNavigate to wp-content/plugins/post-slides/ and look for PHP files containing add_shortcode() function calls, typically in the main plugin file or a dedicated shortcodes file.Affected if The plugin directory contains PHP files with shortcode definitions using include() or require() with dynamic file paths
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Inspect shortcode attribute handlingOpen the file containing the shortcode handler. Search for include(), require(), or similar functions that use shortcode attributes (such as $atts or specific attribute names) directly as file paths without validation.Affected if Shortcode attributes are used directly in include() calls without sanitization or validation checks (such as realpath(), basename(), or whitelist validation)
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Check for path traversal vulnerability patternIn the shortcode handler file, look for code patterns where attribute values (e.g., from $atts['file'] or similar) are concatenated with file paths and passed to include() without removing ../ sequences.Affected if The code accepts attribute values and passes them to include() without removing or blocking ../ sequences, allowing directory traversal
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Verify user role access to shortcodeConfirm that the shortcode is accessible to any authenticated user with contributor role or above by checking if the shortcode callback is registered without additional capability checks beyond basic authentication.Affected if The shortcode is publicly accessible or accessible to contributor-level users without admin-level restrictions
The environment is affected if Post Slides plugin version 1.0.1 or lower is installed AND the shortcode handler uses include() with unsanitized shortcode attributes, allowing authenticated contributor+ users to read arbitrary files via path traversal.
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 dataSanitize shortcode attribute inputs to prevent directory traversal (../) and validate that included files exist within expected, safe directories. Consider using realpath() validation or whitelist approaches.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-15491 — 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-2025-15491 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
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