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PHP File Inclusion (RFI/LFI)Weakness · CWE-98

CVE-2025-9874

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The Ultimate Classified Listings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.6 via the 'uclwp_dashboard' shortcode. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary .php files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where .php file types can be uploaded and included.

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 Ultimate Classified Listings WordPress plugin (versions up to 1.6) contains a Local File Inclusion vulnerability in the 'uclwp_dashboard' shortcode that allows authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher to include and execute arbitrary .php files from the server filesystem.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of the plugin when available, or disable the uclwp_dashboard shortcode until a fix can be applied. Consider restricting contributor-level user capabilities as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Verify plugin installation
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and locate 'Ultimate Classified Listings' in the installed plugins list. Note the installed version displayed next to the plugin name.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the version is 1.6 or lower (including any version prior to the latest available).
  2. Identify vulnerable shortcode usage
    Search WordPress content (posts, pages, custom post types) for the shortcode [uclwp_dashboard] by querying the wp_posts table or using a plugin/plugin_search tool: SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE post_content LIKE '%[uclwp_dashboard]%' AND post_status='publish';
    Affected if The uclwp_dashboard shortcode is present and active in any published content.
  3. Check for contributor-level user accounts
    In WordPress admin > Users, review the list of users and their assigned roles. Alternatively query: SELECT user_login, display_name FROM wp_users u JOIN wp_usermeta m ON u.ID = m.user_id WHERE m.meta_key = 'wp_capabilities' AND m.meta_value LIKE '%contributor%';
    Affected if There exists at least one user account with Contributor-level role or higher who could potentially access the vulnerable shortcode.
  4. Inspect shortcode handler for LFI parameters
    If you have file system access, examine the plugin file containing the uclwp_dashboard shortcode handler (typically in /wp-content/plugins/ultimate-classified-listings/) and look for include(), require(), or similar file inclusion functions accepting user-controlled parameters.
    Affected if The shortcode handler accepts file path parameters and includes them without proper sanitization, enabling arbitrary file inclusion.

A user is affected if the Ultimate Classified Listings plugin version 1.6 or lower is installed, the uclwp_dashboard shortcode is in use, and at least one Contributor-level or higher user account exists on the site.

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 the plugin when available, or disable the uclwp_dashboard shortcode until a fix can be applied. Consider restricting contributor-level user capabilities as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version of Ultimate Classified Listings plugin (version > 1.6)

  1. 1. Verify the installed version of the Ultimate Classified Listings plugin in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins
  2. 2. If the installed version is 1.6 or lower, update the plugin to the latest available version
  3. 3. After updating, verify the fix by checking that the 'uclwp_dashboard' shortcode no longer accepts arbitrary file paths as parameters
  4. 4. Review user accounts with Contributor-level access and ensure they should have that permission
  5. 5. Audit the site for any unexpected PHP files that may have been uploaded/executed as a result of this vulnerability
  6. 6. Consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block LFI attempts as an additional layer of protection

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2025-9874 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