Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-10488

Path Traversal

Path Traversal
Published
25 October 2025
Modified
15 April 2026
CVSS Score v3.1 8.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0085 55th percentile
Risk Priority 61 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-10488 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 45% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

This vulnerability is AI-related — categorised as Other Platforms; in the Supply Chain and Deployment risk domain.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2025-10488 is an arbitrary file move vulnerability in the Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory Plugin with Classified Ads Listings for WordPress, caused by insufficient file path validation in the add_listing_action AJAX action. It affects all versions up to and including 8.4.8. The issue, published on 2025-10-25, carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory).

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit the vulnerability to move arbitrary files on the server. By targeting critical files such as wp-config.php, this can readily result in remote code execution.

References include WordPress plugin trac browser source code at line 634 in class-add-listing.php for version 8.4.5, a related changeset, and a Wordfence threat intelligence advisory, which collectively point to patching via code changes in later versions.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A01:2025 Broken Access Control

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory Plugin with Classified Ads Listings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file move due to insufficient file path validation in the add_listing_action AJAX action in all versions up to, and including, 8.4.8. This makes…

more

it possible for unauthenticated attackers to move arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is moved (such as wp-config.php).

CWE(s)
CWE-22

AI Security AnalysisAI

AI Category
Other Platforms
Risk Domain
Supply Chain and Deployment
OWASP Top 10 for LLMs 2025
None mapped
Classification Reason
Matched keywords: ai

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-2294Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-2614Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-11201Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-23482Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-2033Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-14301Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-50857Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-27483Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-8756Shared CWE-22
CVE-2025-21048Shared CWE-22

Affected Assets

Wordpress
—
inferred from references and description; NVD did not file a CPE for this CVE

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.3.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

AC-3 Access Enforcement good match

Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.

AC-6 Least Privilege partial match

Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.

PR.AA-05 none match
prevents

PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.

A.8.3 Information access restriction partial match
mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.

References