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Unrestricted File UploadWeakness · CWE-434

CVE-2025-48300

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability in Adrian Tobey Groundhogg groundhogg allows Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server.This issue affects Groundhogg: from n/a through <= 4.2.1.

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 · high confidence

Unrestricted file upload vulnerability in the Groundhogg WordPress plugin (versions up to 4.2.1) allows authenticated attackers to upload dangerous file types including web shells. This grants remote code execution capability on the affected server.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of Groundhogg if available. If no patch exists, disable file upload functionality in the plugin or implement strict server-side file type validation and upload the files outside the webroot.

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Groundhogg plugin installation
    Log into WordPress admin panel and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Groundhogg' in the list of active plugins. Alternatively, check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'groundhogg'.
    Affected if Groundhogg plugin is installed and active on the WordPress site
  2. Determine installed Groundhogg version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find Groundhogg. The version number is displayed below the plugin name. Alternatively, check the main plugin file (usually groundhogg.php) in /wp-content/plugins/groundhogg/ for the 'Version' header comment.
    Affected if Version is 4.2.1 or lower (any version up to and including 4.2.1)
  3. Check if file upload functionality is accessible
    Groundhogg includes file upload features for contact attachments and other functionality. Navigate to the plugin settings and look for any file upload, attachment, or import CSV features. Determine if these are accessible to authenticated users (any user role with access to the plugin).
    Affected if File upload or import features are available and accessible to authenticated user accounts
  4. Verify upload directory location
    Check the plugin settings or server configuration to determine where uploaded files are stored. Examine the wp-content/uploads/ directory structure and .htaccess or web server configuration to see if uploaded files remain executable within the webroot.
    Affected if Uploaded files are stored inside the webroot and can be accessed via HTTP

Environment is affected if Groundhogg plugin version 4.2.1 or lower is installed AND file upload functionality is accessible to authenticated users with files stored within the webroot.

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 to a patched version of Groundhogg if available. If no patch exists, disable file upload functionality in the plugin or implement strict server-side file type validation and upload the files outside the webroot.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Groundhogg 4.2.2 or later

  1. Check the currently installed Groundhogg plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins
  2. If the installed version is 4.2.1 or lower, navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin or Updates section
  3. Update Groundhogg to the latest available version (4.2.2 or later) which contains the security fix for CVE-2025-48300
  4. After updating, verify the new version number in the Plugins list
  5. Test file upload functionality to ensure legitimate uploads still work properly
  6. Review any uploaded files in the wp-content/uploads directory to ensure no malicious web shells were uploaded prior to the patch
  7. Consider implementing additional file upload restrictions at the web server level (e.g., .htaccess rules blocking .php files in upload directories) as a defense-in-depth measure

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-48300 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