Custom Query Shortcode <= 0.4.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Path Traversal via lens Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 0.5.0
- Affected Plugin
- Custom Query Shortcode
- Affected Version
<= 0.4.0- CVSS
- 6.5Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2025-8562
At a glance
CVE-2025-8562 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Custom Query Shortcode WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 0.4.0. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 0.5.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2025, reported by Muhammad Yudha - DJ.
Vulnerability Overview
The Custom Query Shortcode plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 0.4.0 via the 'lens' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to read the contents of files on the server, which can contain sensitive 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 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')
Custom Query Shortcode <= 0.4.0 carries this weakness at lens, and reaching it takes an account at Contributor level or above. 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 Custom Query Shortcode the fix is 0.5.0: builds <= 0.4.0 are affected, anything from 0.5.0 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 0.5.0, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Contributor access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Custom Query Shortcode 0.5.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
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