CVE-2025-39538
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 · uneditedUnrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability in Mathieu Chartier WP-Advanced-Search wp-advanced-search allows Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server.This issue affects WP-Advanced-Search: from n/a through <= 3.3.9.4.
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 WP-Advanced-Search plugin before version 3.3.9.4 contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability that allows authenticated or potentially unauthenticated attackers to upload executable files (web shells) to the web server, potentially leading to remote code execution.
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
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 WP-Advanced-Search plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for WP-Advanced-Search in the listAffected if plugin is not installed or not active
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Check installed version against affected rangeIn WordPress admin, click on WP-Advanced-Search in the plugins list to view the version number, or check the plugin header in wp-content/plugins/wp-advanced-search/readme.txt or the main plugin PHP fileAffected if version is lower than 3.3.9.4 (for example, 3.3.9.3, 3.3.8, or earlier)
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Confirm file upload feature is accessibleReview plugin settings under WP-Advanced-Search configuration pages in the WordPress admin panel; check if any search form or frontend component includes a file upload input fieldAffected if file upload functionality is enabled and exposed on any public-facing search form
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Inspect upload directories for suspicious filesCheck wp-content/uploads/ and any custom upload directories configured for the plugin for recently added PHP files, .php files with random names, or known web shell filenamesAffected if unexpected PHP files or executable scripts are found in upload directories
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Review web server access logs for file upload requestsSearch server access logs (usually in /var/log/apache2/ or /var/log/nginx/) for POST requests to the plugin's file upload handler (look for patterns like /wp-content/plugins/wp-advanced-search/ or upload-related endpoints)Affected if unusual or unauthorized file upload POST requests are present in logs
You are affected if WP-Advanced-Search plugin is installed with a version before 3.3.9.4 and file upload functionality is enabled or exposed.
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 WP-Advanced-Search to the latest version (3.3.9.4 or newer if available). If no patched version exists, disable the plugin, restrict file upload functionality at the web server level (e.g., via .htaccess or web server configuration), and monitor for indicators of compromise.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-39538 — 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-2025-39538 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