Hot Random Image <= 1.9.2 - Path Traversal to Authenticated (Contributor+) Limited Arbitrary Image Access via path Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.9.3
- Affected Plugin
- Hot Random Image
- Affected Version
<= 1.9.2- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2025-4419
At a glance
CVE-2025-4419 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Hot Random Image WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.9.2. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.9.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2025, reported by Kishan Vyas.
Vulnerability Overview
The Hot Random Image plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.2 via the 'path' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to access arbitrary images with allowed extensions, outside of the originally intended directory.
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.
CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Hot Random Image <= 1.9.2 carries this weakness at path, 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 Hot Random Image the fix is 1.9.3: builds <= 1.9.2 are affected, anything from 1.9.3 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.9.3, 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: Hot Random Image 1.9.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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