CVE-2025-14388

CVSS 9.8 CriticalEPSS 0.1%
  • CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • Published: 2025-12-23T10:15:43.673

The PhastPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read via null byte injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.7. This is due to a discrepancy between the extension validation in `getExtensionForURL()` which operates on URL-decoded paths, and `appendNormalized()` which strips everything after a null byte before constructing the filesystem path. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files from the webroot, including wp-config.php, by appending a double URL-encoded null byte (%2500) followed by an allowed extension (.txt) to the file path.

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

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How to fix CVE-2025-14388

CVE-2025-14388 is a critical severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: The PhastPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read via null byte injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.7. This is due to a discrepancy between the extension validation in `getExtensionForURL()` which operates on URL-decoded paths, and `appendNormalized()` which strips everything after a null byte before constructing the filesystem path. […]

Affected Versions:
❌ Vulnerable: ≤ 3.7
✅ Safe: ≥ 3.8

Exploit Difficulty: EASY
⏱️ Time to exploit: < 1 hour
🛠️ Required skills: Basic web security knowledge
💰 Public exploits: Likely available

How to Fix:

1 Identify affected systems

- Check if you're running the affected product
- Verify version (vulnerable: ≤ 3.7)

2 Immediate actions

- Update to ≥ 3.8 or later
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access

3 Verification

- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)

4 Long-term prevention

- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations

Exploit Difficulty Assessment

EASY
⏱️ Time to Exploit: < 1 hour
🛠️ Skills Required: Basic web security knowledge
💰 Public Exploits: Likely available

Affected Versions

❌ Vulnerable: ≤ 3.7
✅ Safe: ≥ 3.8

Vulnerability Timeline

Dec 23, 2025
Vulnerability Published

CVE details first published to NVD database

Dec 24, 2025
Imported to Database

Added to this CVE tracking system

Detection Rules & IOCs

No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.

No vendor/product data available.