CVE-2025-49415
📋 TL;DR
This path traversal vulnerability in FW Gallery WordPress plugin allows attackers to delete arbitrary files on the server by manipulating file paths. It affects all WordPress sites running FW Gallery versions up to 8.0.0, potentially compromising website integrity and availability.
💻 Affected Systems
- FW Gallery 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
Complete website compromise through deletion of critical system files, WordPress core files, or configuration files leading to site unavailability and potential privilege escalation.
Likely Case
Website defacement or disruption through deletion of theme files, plugin files, or uploaded content, causing service interruption and data loss.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if file permissions are properly configured and web server runs with minimal privileges, restricting deletion to non-critical files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires some level of access (likely authenticated user). The vulnerability is publicly documented with technical details available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 8.0.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/fw-gallery/vulnerability/wordpress-fw-gallery-8-0-0-arbitrary-file-deletion-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find FW Gallery and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify update to version 8.0.1 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable FW Gallery Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate fw-gallery
Restrict File Deletion Permissions
linuxConfigure web server to run with minimal file system write permissions
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/fw-gallery/
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block path traversal patterns like '../' in requests
- Enable file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized file deletions and restore from backups
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for FW Gallery version. If version is 8.0.0 or lower, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get fw-gallery --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify FW Gallery plugin version shows 8.0.1 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing '../' patterns to FW Gallery endpoints
- File deletion events in web server logs from FW Gallery paths
- 404 errors for suddenly missing WordPress files
Network Indicators:
- POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with 'action' parameter containing 'fw_gallery' and file path parameters
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND (uri="*fw-gallery*" AND (uri="*../*" OR method="POST" AND params="*delete*"))