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CVE-2008-4769· NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

Directory traversal vulnerability in the get_category_template function in wp-includes/theme.php in WordPress 2.3.3 and earlier, and 2.5, al

Directory traversal vulnerability in the get_category_template function in wp-includes/theme.php in WordPress 2.3.3 and earlier, and 2.5, allows remote attackers to include and possibly execute arbitrary PHP files via the cat parameter in index.php. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.

CriticalCVSS 9.3 · v2.0—Proof of concept Fix available

Noroxi analysis

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Published
Oct 28, 2008
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
9.0% · 95th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

40

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
37 / 40 · 9.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
3 / 30 · 9.0%

Affected systems

VendorProduct
wordpresswordpress

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Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • wordpress wordpressup to 2.3.3 inclusive
  • wordpress wordpress0.6.2
  • wordpress wordpress0.6.2.1
  • wordpress wordpress0.7
  • wordpress wordpress0.71
  • wordpress wordpress0.71-gold
  • wordpress wordpress0.711
  • wordpress wordpress0.72
  • wordpress wordpress1.0
  • wordpress wordpress1.0-platinum
  • wordpress wordpress1.0.1
  • wordpress wordpress1.0.1-miles
  • wordpress wordpress1.0.2
  • wordpress wordpress1.0.2-blakey
  • wordpress wordpress1.2
  • wordpress wordpress1.2-delta
  • wordpress wordpress1.2-mingus
  • wordpress wordpress1.2.1
  • wordpress wordpress1.2.2
  • wordpress wordpress1.3.1

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12wordpressbefore 2.5.1-12.5.1-1
Debian:4.0wordpressbefore 2.0.10-1etch42.0.10-1etch4
Debian:4.0wordpressbefore 2.0.10-1etch52.0.10-1etch5
Debian:5.0wordpressbefore 2.5.1-11+lenny12.5.1-11+lenny1

Same product

wordpress: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-63030WordPress < 7.0.2 - REST API batch-route confusion and SQL injection issue leading to Remote Code ExecutionKEV
    72This week
  • CVE-2026-87902An unauthenticated attacker can make `get_page_template()` page-template resolution include a chosen readable local `.php` file outside the KEV
    68This week
  • CVE-2019-8942WordPress before 4.9.9 and 5.x before 5.0.1 allows remote code execution because an _wp_attached_file Post Meta entry can be changed to an a
    60This week
  • CVE-2022-21661SQL injection in WordPress
    59Plan
  • CVE-2026-60137WordPress < 7.0.2 - Facilitated SQL Injection via author__not_in in WP_QueryKEV
    55Plan
  • CVE-2017-1001000The register_routes function in wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-controller.php in the REST API in WordPress 4.7.x before
    55Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:wordpress2.5.1-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

Proof of concept available

A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.

Evidence

  • Exploit-DB entry ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Exploit-DB entrywebapps2008-04-18

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. First PoC-193 d
  2. Published
  3. TodaySep 30, 2026+6547 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

    If successful

    Confidentiality
    C · data can be read
    Integrity
    C · data or configuration can be modified
    Availability
    C · the service can be disrupted
    Attack complexity
    M
    Confidentiality impact
    C
    Integrity impact
    C
    Availability impact
    C

    Weakness class (CWE)

    CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

    CVSS vector

    AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

    nvd-primary

    Root cause

    A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.

    The bug in code

    The whole CWE-22 class

    A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

    Vulnerable

    ts
    const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);

    Fixed

    ts
    const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {  return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);

    Attack context

    MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

    ATT&CK techniques

    —

    Change log

    1. Fix✗ → ✓

    For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

    References

    Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

    All records