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.
CVE-2008-4769
This CVE was only ever scored under CVSS v2.0. NVD CVSS v2.0 base 9.3 — v2 rates that HIGH (v2 bands: LOW 0.0–3.9 / MEDIUM 4.0–6.9 / HIGH 7.0–10.0; v2 has no CRITICAL band). Vector AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C. CVSS v2 is an older, coarser metric than v3.1/v4.0 (no Scope, no User Interaction, no Attack Requirements), so it is not directly comparable to a v3 or v4 score. NVD has never re-scored this record under v3. EPSS predicts 9.0% exploitation probability in the next 30 days, which is reflected in EG Risk but does not lift the v2 base. Confidence: LOW.
- Public exploit code is available (Exploit-DB (verified), epss top5pct, public exploit)
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v2.0 (legacy)
- 9.3HIGHNVD never assigned a CVSS v3 rating to this CVE
- EG Score
- 9.3HIGHlow confidence
- EG Risk
- 72EG Risk 72/100CISA SSVC
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity93% × 45%Exploitation65% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%CISA SSVC: Track at low, Track or Track* at medium and Track* or Attend at high mission impact.Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high. - EPSS PROB
- 9.0%
- EPSS %ILE
- 95th
- KEV
- Not listed
CISA SSVCTrack at low, Track or Track* at medium and Track* or Attend at high mission impact.
A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high.
Exploitation public PoC (EG-KEV: weaponized) · Automatable unknown (not published for this CVE) · Technical impact unknown (not published for this CVE). Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it: high means the affected system is essential to your organisation's mission, or its compromise could cause irreversible harm to people. CISA's decision table
Published
October 28, 2008
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (12)
- cve@mitrehttp://secunia.com/advisories/29949
- cve@mitrehttp://trac.wordpress.org/changeset/7586
- cve@mitrehttp://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1871
- cve@mitrehttp://www.juniper.fi/security/auto/vulnerabilities/vuln28845.html
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/28845
- cve@mitrehttps://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/41920
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://secunia.com/advisories/29949
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://trac.wordpress.org/changeset/7586
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1871
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.juniper.fi/security/auto/vulnerabilities/vuln28845.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/28845
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/41920
Affected Packages
(6 across 6 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress | — |
| — |
Debian:12(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress | — |
| — |
Debian:13(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress | — |
| — |
Debian:14(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress | — |
| — |
Debian:4.0(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress | 2.0.10-1 ... 2.0.9-1 (7 versions) |
| — |
Debian:5.0(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress | 2.5.1-11 |
| — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 7× in last 7d / 18× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
Showing the most recent 100 of 130 total refreshes for this CVE.
- 2026-10-09 20:00 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-10-08 16:33 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-10-07 23:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-10-06 15:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-10-05 17:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-10-04 23:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-10-04 00:19 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-10-03 14:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-10-01 19:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-30 14:57 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-29 07:52 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-26 15:52 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-18 19:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-17 19:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-15 03:04 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-14 14:14 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-09-13 16:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-12 14:54 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-10 09:24 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-06 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-05 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-04 13:55 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-04 04:59 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-30 01:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-28 21:34 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 75 moreShow fewer
- 2026-08-26 15:06 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-08-15 01:24 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-10 04:09 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-08-08 16:31 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-07 16:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-06 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-05 19:11 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-04 15:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-03 10:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-30 01:25 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-26 13:36 UTCEG score recompute▲ 9.30
- 2026-07-25 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-25 04:41 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-24 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 00:57 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-23 00:35 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-23 00:02 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 21:40 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-18 09:59 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-16 16:58 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-15 01:55 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-13 22:25 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-11 08:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-11 08:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-09 19:04 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-08 15:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-07 23:12 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-06 16:23 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-05 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-05 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-04 06:27 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-02 14:00 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-29 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-29 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-28 04:52 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-27 03:04 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-22 14:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-22 14:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-19 19:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-19 19:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-19 10:55 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-15 17:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 23:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-11 13:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 22:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 13:17 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-08 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-31670✓ verifiedFirst seen Apr 18, 2008
WordPress Core 2.3.3 - 'cat' Directory Traversal
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same product + same CWE)
Same product
10 shownDebian:5.0:wordpress
- CVE-2009-2853EG 10.0EPSS p92HIGH
- CVE-2008-6767EG 10.0EPSS p91HIGH
- CVE-2008-4796EG 10.0EPSS p95HIGH
- CVE-2009-2854EG 6.4MEDIUM
- CVE-2008-4106EG 5.1EPSS p93MEDIUM
- CVE-2009-2334EG 4.9EPSS p93MEDIUM
- CVE-2009-2851EG 4.3EPSS p95MEDIUM
- CVE-2008-6762EG 4.3MEDIUM
- CVE-2008-1502EG 4.3EPSS p96MEDIUM
- CVE-2008-5113EG 4.0MEDIUM
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2008-4769?
When was CVE-2008-4769 disclosed?
Is CVE-2008-4769 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2008-4769?
Dependency Blast Radius
See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2008-4769
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2008-4769?
EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.