Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.5.1
- Affected Core
- WordPress 2.5
- Affected Version
2.3.3 – 2.5 · 2 branches- CVSS
- 7.5High
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2008-4769
At a glance
CVE-2008-4769 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the WordPress 2.5 WordPress release line, affecting 2.3.3 – 2.5 · 2 branches. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.5.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2008.
Vulnerability Overview
Directory traversal vulnerability in the get_category_template function in wp-includes/theme.php in WordPress 2.3.3 and earlier, and 2.5, allows remote attackers to include and possibly execute arbitrary PHP files via the cat parameter in index.php. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality.
CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Reaching this weakness in WordPress 2.5 2.3.3 – 2.5 · 2 branches takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Path traversal happens when user-controlled text is used to build a filesystem path without being constrained to an intended directory, so sequences like ../ walk the resolved path somewhere else.
Depending on the operation, it means reading files outside the intended folder — wp-config.php being the usual target — or writing to and deleting paths the web server can touch. For WordPress 2.5 the fix is 2.5.1: builds 2.3.3 – 2.5 · 2 branches are affected, anything from 2.5.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.5.1, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to WordPress 2.5: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: updating to 2.5.1 is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 2.5
- 9.8CVE-2026-63030: WordPress Core 6.9 - 7.0.1 Remote Code Execution
CVE-2026-63030 - 9.8CVE-2024-31211: WordPress Core 6.4.0 - 6.4.1 RCE POP Chain
CVE-2024-31211 - 9.8WordPress Core < 6.0.3 SQL Injection via WP_Date_Query
- 9.8CVE-2021-29476: WordPress Core < 5.5.3 PHP Object Injection Gadget
CVE-2021-29476 - 9.8CVE-2017-16510: WordPress Core SQL Injection
CVE-2017-16510 - 9.8CVE-2017-14723: WordPress Core < 4.8.2 SQL Injection
CVE-2017-14723 - 9.8CVE-2007-6013: WordPress Core 1.5 - 2.3.1 Authorization Bypass
CVE-2007-6013 - 9.8CVE-2007-6318: WordPress Core < 2.3.2 SQL Injection
CVE-2007-6318
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C