CVE-2025-10494

Path Traversal

Published

08 October 2025

Modified

15 April 2026

CVSS Score v3.1 8.1

Click a component to see what it means

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0046 38th percentile

Risk Priority 61 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2025-10494 is a high-severity External Control of File Name or Path (CWE-73) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data from Local System (T1005); ranked at the 38th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — 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-2025-10494 affects the Motors – Car Dealership & Classified Listings Plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 1.4.89. The vulnerability stems from insufficient file path validation when deleting profile pictures, enabling arbitrary file deletion on the server. It has 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-73 (External Control of File Name or Path).

Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can exploit this issue remotely without user interaction. By manipulating the file deletion process, they can target and remove arbitrary files, such as wp-config.php, potentially leading to remote code execution through server misconfiguration or denial of critical functionality.

Mitigation information is provided in advisories from Wordfence and a corresponding patch in the plugin's WordPress trac repository (changeset from revision 3367132 to 3369415). Security practitioners should update to a patched version beyond 1.4.89 and review access controls for low-privilege users.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-31852

Vulnerability Data

The Motors – Car Dealership & Classified Listings Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation when deleting profile pictures in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.89. This makes it possible…

for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php).

CWE(s): CWE-73

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1005 Data from Local System Collection

Adversaries may search local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, local databases, virtual machine files, or process memory, to find files of interest and sensitive data prior to Exfiltration.

attack.mitre.org →

T1083 File and Directory Discovery Discovery

Adversaries may enumerate files and directories or may search in specific locations of a host or network share for certain information within a file system.

attack.mitre.org →

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 →

T1574.007 Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable Stealth

Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking environment variables used to load libraries.

attack.mitre.org →

Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-63343Shared CWE-73

CVE-2024-7497Shared CWE-73

CVE-2024-12357Shared CWE-73

CVE-2025-11451Shared CWE-73

CVE-2026-76217Shared CWE-73

CVE-2025-0630Shared CWE-73

CVE-2026-8118Shared CWE-73

CVE-2026-48162Shared CWE-73

CVE-2024-12058Shared CWE-73

CVE-2024-0100Shared CWE-73

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

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation directly rejects or sanitizes untrusted path strings before they reach filesystem operations.

AC-3 Access Enforcement partial match

Enforces authorization checks on the actual resource accessed, blocking unauthorized files even when a malicious path is supplied.

AC-6 Least Privilege partial match

Least-privilege limits the set of files or directories any subject can affect, shrinking the blast radius of a path-control flaw.

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-06 full match

prevents

Secure SDLC practices include input validation and path sanitization that eliminate this weakness.

PR.AA-05 mostly match

prevents

Least-privilege file authorization directly limits damage from externally controlled paths.

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 can detect path-traversal issues but does not itself implement preventive controls.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match

prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and path-handling controls that directly prevent external file/path manipulation.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against untrusted input influencing file operations.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match

prevents

Secure architecture principles discourage unsafe path construction but do not prescribe concrete file-name controls.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match

prevents

Secure coding standards require canonicalization, allow-listing, and bounds checks on file paths, directly eliminating CWE-73.

A.8.3 Information access restriction partial match

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files can be reached, indirectly reducing impact of path manipulation.