Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-12637

HighRCE

Published: 11 November 2025

Published
11 November 2025
Modified
15 April 2026
KEV Added
Patch
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0025 48.4th percentile
Risk Priority 18 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2025-12637 is a high-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 48.4th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).

Deeper analysis

CVE-2025-12637 affects the Elastic Theme Editor plugin for WordPress, specifically in all versions up to and including 0.0.3. The vulnerability stems from a dynamic code generation feature in the process_theme function, enabling arbitrary file uploads. Classified under CWE-94 (Code Injection), it has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can exploit this vulnerability remotely with low complexity and no user interaction required. By leveraging the flawed process_theme function, they can upload arbitrary files to the affected WordPress site's server, which may lead to remote code execution.

Advisories and related resources, including the Wordfence threat intelligence report and the plugin's source code in the WordPress plugin trac repository, provide details on the vulnerability. The Wordfence page (https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/e158a13d-5452-492a-875e-53791e1ff840?source=cve) documents the issue, while the source code (https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/elastic-theme-editor/trunk/editor/class-elastic-editor.php) highlights the process_theme function as the entry point; no specific patch details are outlined in the provided references.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

The Elastic Theme Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to a dynamic code generation feature in the process_theme function in all versions up to, and including, 0.0.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with…

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Subscriber-level access and above, to upload arbitrary files on the affected site's server which may make remote code execution possible.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

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.
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
Why these techniques?

Arbitrary file upload in WordPress plugin (public-facing web app) enables T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application). Low-privilege authenticated access (Subscriber+) to RCE facilitates T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation).

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-6990Shared CWE-94
CVE-2026-31857Shared CWE-94
CVE-2021-47770Shared CWE-94
CVE-2026-28425Shared CWE-94
CVE-2026-3132Shared CWE-94
CVE-2024-56373Shared CWE-94
CVE-2026-26056Shared CWE-94
CVE-2026-32999Shared CWE-94
CVE-2026-32573Shared CWE-94
CVE-2026-25227Shared CWE-94

Affected Assets

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

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly mitigates the arbitrary file upload vulnerability by enforcing validation of inputs to the process_theme function, preventing code injection via malicious files.

prevent

Requires timely remediation of the specific code injection flaw (CWE-94) in the Elastic Theme Editor plugin versions up to 0.0.3, eliminating the vulnerability through patching.

prevent

Restricts installation of user-installed software like the vulnerable Elastic Theme Editor WordPress plugin, preventing deployment of systems affected by this CVE.

References