CVE-2018-12895

HIGHNVD 8.88.9▲
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 8.9 because EPSS predicts 63% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days (top 0.9% of all CVEs). NVD baseline CVSS 8.8 retained for reference. Confidence: see factors.

Triggered by: EPSS exploit prediction ≥85%
Sources: epss, ghsa, nvd
Weaponized
8.9EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch this weekExploitation is likely or a public exploit exists.
  • 1,209 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version right now
  • High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 62%
  • Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, epss top5pct, epss high, public exploit)
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 62%CVSS: 8.8Exploit: Metasploit · epss top5pct · epss high · public exploitExposed: 1,209

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

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.

Live · internet exposure

1,209 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version of CVE-2018-12895 right now.

across 48 countries (United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore)top: wordpress
See the live KEV-Exposure radar →Found passively from public internet-scan data — aggregate, host-redacted.

EchelonGraph is the only CVE feed that fuses live vulnerability intelligence with its own live internet-exposure radar — so you see not just that a CVE is exploited, but how much of the internet is exposed to it right now.

CVSS v3
8.8
EG Score
8.9(high)
EG Risk
71(Track)
EG Risk 71/100SSVC: Track

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 computed
Severity89% × 45%
Exploitation65% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence.
EPSS PROB
62%
EPSS %ILE
99%
KEV
Not listed

Published

June 26, 2018

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

Advisory Details (5)

Auto-updated Aug 16, 2026
Patch available.
generic Patch Available

[SECURITY] [DLA 1452-1] wordpress security update

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00046.html
generic

[SECURITY] [DSA 4250-1] wordpress security update

https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4250

Affected Packages

(6 across 6 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
wordpress—4.9.7+dfsg1-1—
Debian:12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
wordpress—4.9.7+dfsg1-1—
Debian:13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
wordpress—4.9.7+dfsg1-1—
Debian:14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
wordpress—4.9.7+dfsg1-1—
Debian:8(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
wordpress4.1+dfsg-1 ... 4.1+dfsg-1+deb8u9 (18 versions)4.1+dfsg-1+deb8u18—
Debian:9(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
wordpress4.7.5+dfsg-2 ... 4.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u3 (6 versions)4.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u4—

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 6× in last 7d / 24× 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 109 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-09-24 13:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-09-23 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-09-21 20:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-09-20 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-09-19 15:36 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-09-18 19:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-09-17 19:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-09-16 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-09-16 05:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-09-13 16:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-09-12 14:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-09-11 14:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-09-10 09:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-09-09 06:40 UTCOSV refresh
  15. 2026-09-06 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-09-05 15:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-09-04 13:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-09-02 14:07 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-09-02 14:07 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-09-01 03:31 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-08-30 19:13 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-08-28 21:36 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-08-27 14:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-08-26 14:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-08-25 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-08-22 14:37 UTCOSV refresh
  2. 2026-08-21 23:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-08-20 22:51 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-08-19 17:00 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-08-16 02:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-08-15 01:26 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-08-13 21:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-08-12 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-08-11 13:36 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-08-09 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-08-07 16:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-08-06 18:35 UTCOSV refresh
  13. 2026-08-04 15:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-08-02 02:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-07-30 16:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-07-30 01:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-07-28 15:32 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-07-26 14:51 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-07-26 14:51 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-07-24 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-07-23 01:33 UTCEG score recompute▲ 0.10
  24. 2026-07-22 22:13 UTCEG score recompute▼ 0.20
  25. 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  26. 2026-07-21 15:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  27. 2026-07-21 10:47 UTCOSV refresh
  28. 2026-07-20 17:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  29. 2026-07-20 17:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  30. 2026-07-19 14:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  31. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  32. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  33. 2026-07-15 16:55 UTCEPSS rescore
  34. 2026-07-13 06:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  35. 2026-07-11 08:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  36. 2026-07-09 19:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  37. 2026-07-06 16:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  38. 2026-07-06 16:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  39. 2026-07-05 02:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  40. 2026-07-04 05:56 UTCOSV refresh
  41. 2026-07-02 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  42. 2026-07-01 15:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  43. 2026-07-01 15:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  44. 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
  45. 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
  46. 2026-06-27 03:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  47. 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  48. 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  49. 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  50. 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  51. 2026-06-23 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  52. 2026-06-22 14:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  53. 2026-06-21 01:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  54. 2026-06-21 01:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  55. 2026-06-18 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  56. 2026-06-18 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  57. 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  58. 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  59. 2026-06-16 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  60. 2026-06-16 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  61. 2026-06-15 17:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  62. 2026-06-15 17:43 UTCOSV refresh
  63. 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  64. 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  65. 2026-06-13 22:58 UTCEPSS rescore
  66. 2026-06-13 22:58 UTCEPSS rescore
  67. 2026-06-10 22:16 UTCEPSS rescore
  68. 2026-06-10 13:19 UTCEPSS rescore
  69. 2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  70. 2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  71. 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  72. 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  73. 2026-06-05 22:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  74. 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  75. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore

Publicly available exploits

(1 reference)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Metasploitauxiliary/scanner/http/wp_arbitrary_file_deletion✓ verified
    First seen Jun 26, 2018

    Wordpress Arbitrary File Deletion

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2018-12895?
CVE-2018-12895 is a high vulnerability published on June 26, 2018. 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…
When was CVE-2018-12895 disclosed?
CVE-2018-12895 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on June 26, 2018, with the most recent update on November 21, 2024. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2018-12895 actively exploited?
CVE-2018-12895 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 62% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 0.8% of all scored CVEs.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-12895?
CVE-2018-12895 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 8.9.
How do I remediate CVE-2018-12895?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2018-12895, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2018-12895

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