WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security &…: Relative Path Traversal
CVE-2025-2056 is a high-severity relative path traversal vulnerability in WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security & Firewall from Johndarrel, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security & Firewall versions: 5.4.01 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.57% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Hide My WP Ghost to 5.4.02 or a later version.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johndarrel | WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security & Firewall | 5.4.01 and earlier | Not stated |
| Wpplugins | Hide My WP Ghost | before 5.4.02 | 5.4.02 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Scored by CNA (wordfence.com).
Official description
The WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security & Firewall plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 5.4.01 via the showFile function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of specific file types on the server, which can contain sensitive information.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Relative Path Traversal
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize sequences such as.. that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Third-party and government advisories
Recent Relative Path Traversal vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
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