# CVE-2020-25213: WordPress File Manager Plugin Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

- Exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2021-11-03
- Published: 2020-09-09
- CVSS: 10 CRITICAL (v3.1)
- EPSS: 97.3% (100th percentile)
- CWE: CWE-434

The File Manager (wp-file-manager) plugin before 6.9 for WordPress allows remote attackers to upload and execute arbitrary PHP code because it renames an unsafe example elFinder connector file to have the .php extension. This, for example, allows attackers to run the elFinder upload (or mkfile and put) command to write PHP code into the wp-content/plugins/wp-file-manager/lib/files/ directory. This was exploited in the wild in August and September 2020.

## Edge WAF coverage (claimed by vendors, not measured)

| Vendor | Status | First rule | Days after publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Before feed history | — | — |
| AWS | No public claim | — | — |
| Microsoft Azure | No public claim | — | — |
| Google Cloud | Before feed history | — | — |
| Fastly | Before feed history | — | — |
| F5 | Rule published | 2026-07-07 | 2127 |
| Akamai | No public source | — | — |
| OWASP CRS | Before feed history | — | — |

### F5

- 2026-07-07 · new · rule 200204071
  > Added: signature 200204071 "WordPress File Manager Remote Code Execution" (Server Side Code Injection, risk High), systems: WordPress. References: CVE-2020-25213.
  Source: https://docs.cloud.f5.com/docs-v2/platform/changelogs/security-details-changelog

## Our test (measured)

- OWASP Core Rule Set 4.25.0, paranoia level 1, anomaly threshold 5, default CRS settings: passed (0 of 1 requests blocked), template CVE-2020-25213, 2026-11-02
- OWASP Core Rule Set 4.25.0, paranoia level 2, anomaly threshold 5, default CRS settings: passed (0 of 1 requests blocked), template CVE-2020-25213, 2026-11-02

"No public claim" means no vendor statement names this CVE; "Before feed history" means the CVE is older than the vendor feed. In both cases generic rules may still block it.

HTML: https://cve.vigilbase.com/cve/CVE-2020-25213 · JSON: https://cve.vigilbase.com/api/v1/cves/CVE-2020-25213