CVE-2025-58996
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 Helmut Wandl Advanced Settings advanced-settings allows Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server.This issue affects Advanced Settings: from n/a through <= 3.1.1.
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 confidenceThe Helmut Wandl Advanced Settings plugin allows unrestricted file uploads, permitting attackers to upload PHP files containing web shell code. Due to insufficient validation of file type/extension and lack of execution prevention on the upload directory, uploaded files can be executed to achieve remote code execution on the server.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm plugin installationCheck your WordPress plugins directory for the 'helmut-wandl-advanced-settings' folder, or use wp-cli: wp plugin list --status=active --name='helmut-wandl-advanced-settings'Affected if The plugin folder or active plugin entry exists in your WordPress installation
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Identify upload endpointSearch plugin source files for upload-handling functions or form handlers; look for references to 'upload', 'file', or 'POST' method forms in the plugin directoryAffected if The plugin contains upload handling code that processes file uploads
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Check upload directory locationExamine plugin code for defined upload path constant or variable (e.g., wp-content/uploads/ or similar); verify if a custom upload directory is setAffected if An upload directory path is defined within the plugin and is accessible via the web server
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Verify file extension validationReview plugin source code for file type/extension validation logic; search for checks on file extensions or MIME types before save operationsAffected if No extension whitelist or MIME type validation exists, or validation can be easily bypassed
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Check upload directory execution preventionInspect the upload directory for .htaccess (Apache) or nginx configuration that denies script execution; verify if .php files can be accessed and executed via browserAffected if The upload directory lacks .htaccess rules like 'deny from all' or nginx directives to block PHP execution, and uploaded .php files are directly executable
You are affected if the Helmut Wandl Advanced Settings plugin is installed and active, contains an unrestricted file upload function, and the upload directory allows execution of uploaded PHP files.
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 to the latest patched version immediately. If no patch exists, disable and remove the plugin. Additionally, configure the web server to prevent execution of any files in the upload directory (e.g., via .htaccess rules for Apache or location directives in Nginx).
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-58996 — 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-2025-58996 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