dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2025-2270

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Countdown, Coming Soon, Maintenance – Countdown & Clock plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.9.1 via the createCdObj function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include and execute files with the specific filenames on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in some cases.

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 WordPress 'Countdown & Clock' plugin versions up to 2.8.9.1 contain a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the createCdObj function. Unauthenticated attackers can craft requests to include arbitrary files with specific filenames on the server, enabling PHP code execution and potential bypass of access controls.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 2.8.9.2 or later immediately. If unable to update, consider disabling the plugin until the patch can be applied.

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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. Locate the Countdown & Clock plugin
    Check the WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins) for a folder named 'countdown-clock', 'countdown', or similar. Inside, open the main PHP file (usually index.php or the plugin's primary file) to find the plugin header which displays the version number.
    Affected if The plugin is present and the version listed is 2.8.9.1 or lower.
  2. Verify the installed version against the affected range
    Compare the version number found in the plugin header to the known vulnerable range: versions up to and including 2.8.9.1 are affected. Version 2.8.9.2 and later are patched.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.8.9.1 or earlier.
  3. Inspect the createCdObj function for the LFI flaw
    Open the plugin's PHP files and locate the createCdObj function. Look for code that uses include, include_once, require, or require_once with user-controlled input (such as a parameter passed via GET or POST request) without proper sanitization. The vulnerability allows arbitrary file inclusion.
    Affected if The createCdObj function exists and contains insecure file inclusion logic using request parameters without validation.
  4. Check for suspicious access to the vulnerable endpoint
    Review web server access logs (Apache/Nginx) for requests to the plugin's PHP files that contain the createCdObj function. Look for patterns like '?action=createCdObj' or similar parameter names attempting to include files (e.g., '?file=../../wp-config.php').
    Affected if Unauthenticated requests targeting the vulnerable function with file path parameters are present in logs.

A user is affected if the Countdown & Clock plugin is installed with version 2.8.9.1 or earlier and the createCdObj function with insecure file inclusion logic is present and accessible.

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 version 2.8.9.2 or later immediately. If unable to update, consider disabling the plugin until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 2.9.0 or latest available release

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the 'Countdown, Coming Soon, Maintenance – Countdown & Clock' plugin
  4. Click 'Update now' if an update is available, or manually download the latest version from wordpress.org and upload it
  5. Verify the plugin is updated to version 2.9.0 or higher
  6. Confirm the update was successful and the site remains functional
Caveat Minor plugin point releases typically do not introduce breaking changes; always test updates in a staging environment first

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-2270 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