Feeds for YouTube Pro <= 2.6.0 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read via Path Traversal
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.6.1
- Affected Plugin
- YouTube Feed Pro
- Affected Version
<= 2.6.0- CVSS
- 5.9Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2025-12002
At a glance
CVE-2025-12002 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the YouTube Feed Pro WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.6.0. It carries a CVSS score of 5.9 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.6.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2026, reported by LionTree.
Vulnerability Overview
The Feeds for YouTube Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file read in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.0 via the 'sby_check_wp_submit' AJAX action. This is due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data and the use of that data in a file operation. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information, granted the 'Save Featured Images' setting is enabled and 'Disable WP Posts' is disabled. Note: This vulnerability only affects the Pro version of Feeds for YouTube.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, 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')
YouTube Feed Pro <= 2.6.0 carries this weakness at sby_check_wp_submit, and reaching it takes no account at all. 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 YouTube Feed Pro 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?
Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: YouTube Feed Pro 2.6.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C