CVE-2025-54021
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 · uneditedImproper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Mitchell Bennis Simple File List simple-file-list allows Path Traversal.This issue affects Simple File List: from n/a through <= 6.1.14.
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 Simple File List WordPress plugin versions up to 6.1.14 contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows attackers to access files outside the intended directory by manipulating file path inputs with '..' sequences. This improper limitation of pathnames to restricted directories enables unauthorized file access.
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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Simple File List plugin versionIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find Simple File List. The version number is displayed below the plugin name. Alternatively, check the main plugin file (simple-file-list.php) for the 'Version' header comment.Affected if Version is 6.1.14 or lower (the vulnerability exists in versions up to 6.1.14)
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Confirm plugin is activeIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and verify that Simple File List shows as 'Active'. Only active plugins process requests.Affected if Plugin is active and processing file path inputs
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Identify file path handlingInspect any functionality that accepts file path parameters. This may appear in URL parameters (such as ?file= or ?path=), form inputs, or AJAX handlers that process file listings. Check plugin settings for file display or download features.Affected if File path parameters are accepted and used to locate files for display or download
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Check for input sanitization on path parametersReview plugin code (particularly file handling functions) for how file path inputs are processed. Look for whether path traversal sequences (..) are filtered, stripped, or validated before being used in file operations. Search for functions handling file inclusion or reading.Affected if Path inputs are not properly sanitized to prevent '..' sequences from traversing outside the allowed directory
If Simple File List plugin version 6.1.14 or lower is active and the plugin processes file path parameters (which is its core function of listing and accessing files), then the environment is affected by this path traversal vulnerability.
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 input validation and sanitization for all file path parameters, ensuring paths are canonicalized and validated against an allowed directory whitelist before use.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-54021 — 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-2025-54021 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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