dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2025-8385

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
The Zombify plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 1.7.5. This is due to insufficient input validation in the zf_get_file_by_url function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to read arbitrary files on the server, including sensitive system files like /etc/passwd, via a forged request. It's worth noting that successfully exploiting this vulnerability relies on a race condition as the file generated will be deleted immediately.

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

The Zombify WordPress plugin versions up to 1.7.5 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the zf_get_file_by_url function due to insufficient input validation. Authenticated attackers with subscriber-level permissions can craft malicious requests to read arbitrary server files, including sensitive system files like /etc/passwd. Exploitation is time-sensitive as the generated file is immediately deleted, requiring successful race condition timing.

MitigationUpdate the Zombify plugin to the latest version beyond 1.7.5 once available, or disable the plugin until a patch is released. If immediate action is required, consider restricting access to the vulnerable function via server configuration or temporarily removing the plugin.

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 checks

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

  1. Verify WordPress installation
    Check if the site runs on WordPress by looking for wp-content/plugins/ directory or checking for wp-config.php in the web root
    Affected if Not applicable - this confirms the platform, required for WordPress plugin vulnerability assessment
  2. Confirm Zombify plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins, or inspect the path /wp-content/plugins/ for a folder named 'zombify' or similar
    Affected if Zombify plugin is not present on the system
  3. Determine Zombify plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins > Zombify and read the version number displayed, or open the main plugin file (e.g., zombify.php) and locate the Version header comment
    Affected if The installed version is 1.7.5 or any version up to and including 1.7.5
  4. Check for subscriber-level user accounts
    In WordPress admin, go to Users section and review user roles. Subscriber is the lowest privilege role in WordPress
    Affected if At least one user account with 'Subscriber' role exists on the WordPress site
  5. Verify plugin is active
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, check if Zombify shows as 'Active' under the plugin status
    Affected if The plugin is currently activated and running

A user is affected if Zombify plugin version 1.7.5 or lower is installed and active on a WordPress site that has at least one subscriber-level user account.

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 the Zombify plugin to the latest version beyond 1.7.5 once available, or disable the plugin until a patch is released. If immediate action is required, consider restricting access to the vulnerable function via server configuration or temporarily removing the plugin.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version beyond 1.7.5 (check official repository for patched release)

  1. Check the WordPress plugin repository or ThemeForest for the latest version of the Zombify plugin
  2. Update the Zombify plugin to the latest available version that addresses this vulnerability
  3. If no patched version is available, consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a fix is released
  4. After updating, verify the zf_get_file_by_url function no longer allows path traversal
  5. Review user access levels and consider restricting subscriber-level permissions if not business-critical

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2025-8385 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