dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2025-2636

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-11
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 InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.0.85 via the 'instawp-database-manager' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include and execute arbitrary files 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 cases where php file types can be uploaded and included, or are already present on the filesystem locally. There are currently no known vulnerabilities in this plugin that make file upload possible, meaning this won't be exploitable to achieve remote code execution on most instances with just this plugin alone. Another vulnerability would need to be present on the site allowing arbitrary file upload in order to leverage this to achieve remote code execution.

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 InstaWP Connect WordPress plugin versions up to 0.1.0.85 contains an unauthenticated Local File Inclusion vulnerability via the 'instawp-database-manager' parameter. Attackers can include and execute arbitrary PHP files present on the server filesystem. While this LFI alone cannot directly achieve RCE without an additional file upload vulnerability, it can expose sensitive files, bypass access controls, and execute existing PHP code.

MitigationUpdate the InstaWP Connect plugin to version 0.1.0.86 or later to patch the LFI vulnerability. Until patched, disable the plugin or implement WAF rules to block requests to the vulnerable parameter.

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. Verify InstaWP Connect plugin is installed
    Check the WordPress plugins directory or inspect the plugin files in wp-content/plugins/instawp-connect/ for the presence of the plugin
    Affected if The plugin files exist in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify installed plugin version
    Read the plugin header in instawp-connect.php or check the version specified in the plugin's main file (typically contains 'Version: 0.1.0.XX')
    Affected if The version is 0.1.0.85 or earlier (versions up to and including 0.1.0.85 are vulnerable)
  3. Confirm plugin is active
    Check WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, or query the wp_options table for option_name='active_plugins'
    Affected if The plugin is active and serving requests
  4. Test unauthenticated access to vulnerable parameter
    Send an HTTP GET request to any WordPress endpoint with parameter 'instawp-database-manager' pointing to a local file path (e.g., ?instawp-database-manager=../../../../wp-config.php)
    Affected if The server returns contents of the requested file, indicating the LFI is exploitable without authentication

If InstaWP Connect plugin version 0.1.0.85 or earlier is installed and active, and the instawp-database-manager parameter is accessible without authentication, the environment is affected by this LFI vulnerability.

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 InstaWP Connect plugin to version 0.1.0.86 or later to patch the LFI vulnerability. Until patched, disable the plugin or implement WAF rules to block requests to the vulnerable parameter.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Update to the latest available version from WordPress.org (version higher than 0.1.0.85)

  1. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Locate the InstaWP Connect plugin
  3. Check the current installed version - if it is 0.1.0.85 or lower, an update is required
  4. Update the plugin to the latest available version from the WordPress plugin repository
  5. Verify the update was successful by confirming the new version number

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2025-2636 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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