Prevent files / folders access <= 2.6.0 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Path Traversal
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.6.1
- Affected Plugin
- Prevent Files / Folders Access
- Affected Version
<= 2.6.0- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2025-53561
At a glance
CVE-2025-53561 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Prevent Files / Folders Access WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.6.0. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.6.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2025, reported by Martino Spagnuolo.
Vulnerability Overview
The Prevent files / folders access plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.0 via the mo_media_show_file_or_folder() function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to perform actions on files 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')
Prevent Files / Folders Access <= 2.6.0 carries this weakness at mo_media_show_file_or_folder(), and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber 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 Prevent Files / Folders Access the fix is 2.6.1: builds <= 2.6.0 are affected, anything from 2.6.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.6.1, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Subscriber 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: Prevent Files / Folders Access 2.6.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Prevent Files / Folders Access
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