CVE-2025-46490
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 wordwebsoftware Crossword Compiler Puzzles crossword-compiler-puzzles allows Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server.This issue affects Crossword Compiler Puzzles: from n/a through <= 5.2.
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 confidenceUnrestricted file upload vulnerability in Crossword Compiler Puzzles allows attackers to upload dangerous file types (web shells) directly to the web server. With a CVSS 9.9 rating, successful exploitation enables complete remote code execution on the affected system.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Crossword Compiler Puzzles installationLocate the web application directory or check running web services for 'crossword' or 'wordwebsoftware' componentsAffected if Crossword Compiler Puzzles is installed and accessible via web
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Determine installed versionCheck application files for version information (typically in about.php, version.txt, or the main executable/dll properties)Affected if Version matches or precedes the range containing CVE-2025-46490 (contact vendor for exact version numbers)
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Verify upload functionality is exposedAccess the puzzle upload or file upload endpoint in the web interfaceAffected if The upload feature is accessible without authentication or with low-privilege access
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Inspect upload directory locationCheck web server configuration and application settings for the upload path; verify if uploads are stored within the webrootAffected if Upload directory is inside the publicly accessible web root
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Check file type validation configurationReview application configuration files or source code for allowed file type restrictions on uploadsAffected if No strict allowlist validation exists, or dangerous extensions (php, asp, jsp, exe) are permitted
User is affected if Crossword Compiler Puzzles is running with an unpatched version and the upload feature is accessible from the web without proper file type restrictions.
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 dataImplement strict allowlist-based file type validation, store uploads outside the webroot, disable script execution in upload directories, and update to a patched version once released by wordwebsoftware.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-46490 — 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-2025-46490 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