CVE-2025-3897
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 EUCookieLaw plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.2 via the 'file_get_contents' function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. The vulnerability can only be exploited if a caching plugin such as W3 Total Cache is installed and activated.
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 confidenceThe EUCookieLaw WordPress plugin (versions up to 2.7.2) contains an arbitrary file read vulnerability via the PHP file_get_contents function. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this to read sensitive files on the server, but only when a caching plugin like W3 Total Cache is installed and activated, suggesting the vulnerability is triggered through cache-related parameters or paths.
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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify EUCookieLaw plugin installationIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for EUCookieLaw, or check the plugin files in /wp-content/plugins/ for a file containing the version number (often readme.txt or the main plugin PHP file)Affected if The plugin is found installed on the WordPress site
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Determine EUCookieLaw versionOpen the main plugin file (eucookielaw.php or similar) and look for a version comment or constant, or check the readme.txt file for the 'Stable tag' or 'Version' entryAffected if The version is 2.7.2 or any version lower than 2.7.2
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Check for caching plugin presenceIn WordPress admin, review installed plugins for W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, WP Rocket, or other caching plugins; also check wp-content for cache-related directories like /wp-content/cache/Affected if W3 Total Cache or any caching plugin is installed and activated
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Inspect access logs for path traversal attemptsReview web server access logs (Apache error.log, Nginx access.log) for requests to EUCookieLaw endpoints containing patterns like '../', '..\', or absolute paths such as '/etc/passwd'Affected if Suspicious requests with path traversal sequences are found targeting the EUCookieLaw plugin
The environment is affected if EUCookieLaw plugin version 2.7.2 or lower is installed AND a caching plugin like W3 Total Cache is active, making arbitrary file read via path traversal possible.
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 dataUpdate to the latest version of EUCookieLaw when a patch is released. Until then, consider removing or deactivating the caching plugin if possible, or implement web application firewall rules to block path traversal attempts.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-3897 — 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-2025-3897 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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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.
- 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