{"id":"UBUNTU-CVE-2018-12895","details":"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.","modified":"2025-10-24T04:47:05Z","published":"2018-06-26T20:29:00Z","upstream":["CVE-2018-12895"],"references":[{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-12895"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://blog.ripstech.com/2018/wordpress-file-delete-to-code-execution/"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-12895"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"wordpress","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:16.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/wordpress@4.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1?arch=source&distro=xenial"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["4.3+dfsg-1","4.3.1+dfsg-1","4.4+dfsg-1","4.4.1+dfsg-1","4.4.2+dfsg-1","4.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"wordpress","binary_version":"4.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1"},{"binary_version":"4.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1","binary_name":"wordpress-l10n"},{"binary_name":"wordpress-theme-twentyfifteen","binary_version":"4.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1"},{"binary_name":"wordpress-theme-twentyfourteen","binary_version":"4.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1"},{"binary_version":"4.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1","binary_name":"wordpress-theme-twentysixteen"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2018/UBUNTU-CVE-2018-12895.json"}},{"package":{"name":"wordpress","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:18.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/wordpress@4.9.5+dfsg1-1?arch=source&distro=bionic"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["4.8.2+dfsg-2","4.8.3+dfsg-1","4.9.1+dfsg-1","4.9.2+dfsg-1","4.9.4+dfsg-1","4.9.5+dfsg1-1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"wordpress","binary_version":"4.9.5+dfsg1-1"},{"binary_name":"wordpress-l10n","binary_version":"4.9.5+dfsg1-1"},{"binary_name":"wordpress-theme-twentyfifteen","binary_version":"4.9.5+dfsg1-1"},{"binary_name":"wordpress-theme-twentyseventeen","binary_version":"4.9.5+dfsg1-1"},{"binary_name":"wordpress-theme-twentysixteen","binary_version":"4.9.5+dfsg1-1"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2018/UBUNTU-CVE-2018-12895.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.7.3","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"},{"type":"Ubuntu","score":"medium"}]}