dbcve.org
Information ExposureWeakness · CWE-200

CVE-2025-3923

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.8 via the 'generate_unique_string' due to insufficient randomness of the generated file name. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to extract sensitive data including files protected by the plugin if the attacker can determine the file name.

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 Prevent Direct Access WordPress plugin versions up to 2.8.8 uses a cryptographically weak random string generator in the 'generate_unique_string' function to create protected file names. Due to insufficient randomness (likely using predictable patterns or a weak PRNG), unauthenticated attackers can potentially brute-force or predict file names and access sensitive files that the plugin is meant to protect.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 2.8.9 or later which should implement cryptographically secure random string generation (e.g., using wp_generate_password() or random_bytes()). If immediate update is not possible, consider additional access controls at the web server level for sensitive directories.

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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. Confirm plugin installation
    Locate the Prevent Direct Access plugin in the WordPress installation under wp-content/plugins/ and identify the plugin folder name (commonly 'prevent-direct-access' or similar).
    Affected if The plugin folder exists in the plugins directory.
  2. Check installed version
    Open the main plugin PHP file (often named prevent-direct-access.php or similar) and look for the version header in the plugin comment block, or check the version in readme.txt.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.8.8 or lower.
  3. Locate vulnerable function
    Search within the plugin files for the function named 'generate_unique_string' - examine its implementation to verify it uses a weak random generation method (e.g., uniqid, mt_rand, or similar non-cryptographic functions).
    Affected if The function exists and uses a cryptographically weak random string generator.
  4. Identify protected files
    Check the uploads or designated protected directories for files with generated unique string names (typically long alphanumeric filenames). Look for any files that the plugin claims to protect from direct access.
    Affected if Protected files with predictable or generated filenames exist on the server.
  5. Check web access exposure
    Verify that the protected directory (often in wp-content/uploads/pda-protected or similar path) is directly accessible via HTTP without authentication restrictions.
    Affected if The protected directory is web-accessible without additional access controls.

The environment is affected if the Prevent Direct Access plugin version is 2.8.8 or lower AND the generate_unique_string function uses weak randomness AND protected files exist that could be accessed by predicting file names.

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 or later which should implement cryptographically secure random string generation (e.g., using wp_generate_password() or random_bytes()). If immediate update is not possible, consider additional access controls at the web server level for sensitive directories.

Recommended fix High confidence

Version 2.8.9 or later

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the 'Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files' plugin
  4. Click 'Update now' if an update is available, or manually update to version 2.8.9 or higher
  5. Verify the plugin updated successfully by checking the 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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2025-3923 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