CVE-2018-12895

Status: ModifiedHigh (8.8)—💥 PoC

WordPress through 4.9.6 allows Author users to execute arbitrary code by leveraging directory traversal in the wp-admin/post.php thumb parameter, which is passed to the PHP unlink function and can delete the wp-config.php file. This is related to missing filename validation in the wp-includes/post.php wp_delete_attachment function. The attacker must have capabilities for files and posts that are normally available only to the Author, Editor, and Administrator roles. The attack methodology is to delete wp-config.php and then launch a new installation process to increase the attacker's privileges.

CVSS

Version: 3.1
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Base score: 8.8

Exploitation probability (EPSS)

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 62%
Percentile among all scored CVEs: 99
Score date: 10/8/2026

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).

💥 Public exploits

Exploit code or detection templates are publicly available. This is not the same as confirmed active exploitation (KEV), but it raises the risk: patch with priority.

Proof of concept on GitHub (unverified) · List of proofs of concept on GitHub

⚠️ GitHub proofs of concept are not verified: some are fake or contain malware. Never run them outside an isolated lab.

Affected technologies (2)

Debian — Debian Linux Wordpress — Wordpress

CWEs

CWE-22

References

Raw JSON (NVD)

Show

{
  "id": "CVE-2018-12895",
  "cveTags": [],
  "metrics": {
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          "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P",
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          "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
          "userInteraction": "NONE",
          "attackComplexity": "LOW",
          "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
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      "affectedData": [
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  "published": "2018-06-26T20:29:00.273",
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    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "WordPress through 4.9.6 allows Author users to execute arbitrary code by leveraging directory traversal in the wp-admin/post.php thumb parameter, which is passed to the PHP unlink function and can delete the wp-config.php file. This is related to missing filename validation in the wp-includes/post.php wp_delete_attachment function. The attacker must have capabilities for files and posts that are normally available only to the Author, Editor, and Administrator roles. The attack methodology is to delete wp-config.php and then launch a new installation process to increase the attacker's privileges."
    },
    {
      "lang": "es",
      "value": "WordPress hasta la versión 4.9.6 permite que los usuarios Author ejecuten código arbitrario aprovechándose de un salto de directorio en el parámetro thumb en wp-admin/post.php que se pasa a la función unlink en PHP y puede borrar el archivo wp-config.php. Esto está relacionado con la ausencia de validación de nombres de archivo en la función wp_delete_attachment en wp-includes/post.php. El atacante debe tener capacidades para archivos y publicaciones que normalmente están disponibles solo para los roles Author, Editor y Administrator. La metodología de ataque es borrar wp-config.php y luego ejecutar un proceso de instalación nuevo para incrementar los privilegios del atacante."
    }
  ],
  "lastModified": "2026-06-17T01:38:32.027",
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}