CVE-2025-12528
📋 TL;DR
The Pie Forms for WP WordPress plugin has an arbitrary file upload vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to upload malicious files like PHP scripts. This can lead to remote code execution on affected WordPress sites. All versions up to and including 1.6 are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Pie Forms for WP WordPress plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full server compromise through remote code execution, allowing attackers to install backdoors, steal data, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Website defacement, malware distribution, or limited server access through uploaded web shells.
If Mitigated
File upload attempts logged and blocked by web application firewall or file integrity monitoring.
🎯 Exploit Status
Attackers need to guess the upload directory hash, but this is somewhat predictable. File names are securely hashed, making exploitation more difficult but still possible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 1.6
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pie-forms-for-wp
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Pie Forms for WP plugin to latest version via WordPress admin panel. 2. Verify update to version after 1.6. 3. Test file upload functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable file uploads
allRemove or disable file upload fields from all forms using Pie Forms plugin
Web server file type restrictions
linuxConfigure web server to block execution of uploaded PHP files in upload directories
For Apache: Add 'php_flag engine off' to .htaccess in upload directories
For Nginx: Add 'location ~ \.php$ { deny all; }' to upload directory config
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall rules to block file uploads with dangerous extensions
- Enable file integrity monitoring on WordPress upload directories
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel for Pie Forms plugin version. If version is 1.6 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name='Pie Forms for WP' --field=version (if WP-CLI installed)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is greater than 1.6 and test file upload with malicious extension is rejected.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- File upload attempts with PHP or other executable extensions in WordPress/Pie Forms logs
- Unusual POST requests to file upload endpoints
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /wp-content/plugins/pie-forms-for-wp/ with file uploads
- Subsequent requests to uploaded files with suspicious extensions
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (uri_path="*pie-forms-for-wp*" AND method="POST" AND content_type="multipart/form-data")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pie-forms-for-wp/tags/1.6/includes/fields/fileupload.php#L18
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pie-forms-for-wp/tags/1.6/includes/fields/fileupload.php#L331
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pie-forms-for-wp/tags/1.6/includes/fields/fileupload.php#L475
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/4941a0ce-67f1-430d-bbad-3c97a4ed449e?source=cve
