Advanced File ManagerWordPress extension · Advancedfilemanager
CVE-2025-47688
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 · uneditedMissing Authorization vulnerability in Saad Iqbal Advanced File Manager file-manager-advanced allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Advanced File Manager: from n/a through <= 5.3.1.
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 confidenceMissing authorization vulnerability in the Advanced File Manager WordPress plugin allows attackers to bypass access control security levels. The plugin fails to properly validate user permissions before allowing file management operations, enabling unauthorized users to access sensitive file management functionality they should not have.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Advanced File ManagerWordPress extension
< 5.3.2CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed plugin versionNavigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins > Advanced File Manager. Locate the version number displayed under the plugin name, or inspect the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/advanced-file-manager/advanced-filemanager.php for the 'Version' tag.Affected if The displayed version is below 5.3.2 (e.g., 5.3.1, 5.3.0, or older)
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Verify plugin is activeConfirm the Advanced File Manager plugin is enabled in the WordPress Plugins list. An inactive plugin may still pose less immediate risk but retains the vulnerability code if installed.Affected if Plugin is active and version is below 5.3.2
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Identify exposed file management endpointsReview your web server logs or use a directory scanning tool to identify accessible URLs under /wp-content/plugins/advanced-file-manager/ or common endpoints like /?module=files or /?action=manage. Check for any unauthenticated access attempts to these paths.Affected if File management endpoints are accessible without authentication or without proper permission checks
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Audit user roles with file manager accessIn WordPress admin, go to the plugin settings (Advanced File Manager > Settings) and review which user roles are permitted to use the file manager. Check if low-privilege roles such as Subscriber, Contributor, or custom roles with limited capabilities are granted file management access.Affected if Users with Subscriber, Contributor, or other low-level roles can access file management operations
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Test authorization on file operationsCreate a test user with a low-privilege role (e.g., Subscriber) and attempt to perform file operations through the plugin interface: browse to file manager, attempt to open, edit, upload, or delete files. Observe whether the operation executes without a permission error.Affected if Low-privilege users can execute file operations that should require higher permissions (e.g., Edit/Upload/Delete files)
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Review server-side permission validationInspect the plugin PHP files, particularly ajax handlers and main module files, for missing capability checks. Search for current_user_can() calls and verify they exist before sensitive file operations. Look for functions that handle file upload, deletion, or renaming.Affected if No current_user_can() or similar capability checks are present before file management operations in the plugin code
A user is affected if the Advanced File Manager plugin version is below 5.3.2 AND the plugin is active AND low-privilege or unauthenticated users can access or execute file management operations.
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.
dbcve · scoped5.3.2
Update to a version beyond 5.3.1 if available, or implement proper role-based access control (RBAC) checks on all file management endpoints to verify user permissions before executing operations.
5.3.2
- 1. Update Advanced File Manager plugin to version 5.3.2 or later.
- 2. After updating, verify that access control settings are properly configured in the plugin settings.
- 3. Test that unauthorized users cannot access files or functions they should not have permission to access.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Advanced File Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,384.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-47688 — 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-2025-47688 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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- 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
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