Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-8575

Path Traversal

Published
12 September 2025
Modified
15 April 2026
CVSS Score v3.1 7.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0080 54th percentile
Risk Priority 57 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-2025-8575 is a high-severity Absolute Path Traversal (CWE-36) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 7.2 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 46% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; 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.

The LWS Cleaner plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the 'lws_cl_delete_file' function in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.1.3. This issue, tracked as CVE-2025-8575 with a CVSS score of 7.2, stems from CWE-36 and affects the plugin's file handling capabilities.

Authenticated attackers with Administrator-level access can exploit the vulnerability to delete arbitrary files on the server. Successful exploitation can lead to remote code execution, particularly if critical files such as wp-config.php are removed.

The exploitation probability remains low with an EPSS score of 0.0202, showing no increase from its peak. References to the vulnerable code and a subsequent changeset are available through WordPress plugin trac and Wordfence threat intelligence.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The LWS Cleaner plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in the 'lws_cl_delete_file' function in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.1.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access…

more

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)

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-15302Shared CWE-36
CVE-2026-26337Shared CWE-36
CVE-2026-58300Shared CWE-36
CVE-2024-11978Shared CWE-36
CVE-2024-13161Shared CWE-36
CVE-2024-13160Shared CWE-36
CVE-2023-41830Shared CWE-36
CVE-2026-54202Shared CWE-36
CVE-2024-9924Shared CWE-36
CVE-2025-14848Shared CWE-36

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

Input validation directly stops construction of absolute paths from untrusted data before they reach file operations.

Enforced access authorizations can limit which resources are reachable even if a traversal succeeds.

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 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and path sanitization that prevent absolute path traversal.

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.

finds

Security testing in development can detect absolute path traversal via static analysis and fuzzing.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle includes input validation and path-handling requirements that reduce absolute path traversal risk.

prevents

Application security requirements typically mandate controls against path traversal in file-access functions.

prevents

Secure architecture principles call for canonicalization and sandboxing that limit absolute path traversal.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly require neutralization of absolute path sequences in pathname construction.

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files can be reached but does not address the path-construction flaw itself.

References