August 2025 WordPress Vulnerability & Patch Roundup

  • September 18, 2025

Discover critical WordPress vulnerabilities and patches for August 2025. Stay secure with updates, detailed risk analysis, and mitigation strategies.

August 2025 WordPress Vulnerability & Patch Roundup

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, website security remains a paramount concern. Vulnerability reports and responsible disclosures serve not only as a warning system but also as crucial educational tools for website owners and administrators. Automated cyberattacks targeting known software weaknesses continue to be a primary cause of website breaches, threatening data integrity and user privacy.

This article provides an in-depth summary of the most significant WordPress plugin and theme vulnerabilities reported during August 2025, alongside recommended patch updates to enhance your WordPress security posture.

Understanding WordPress Security: Importance of Patch Management

WordPress powers over 43% of websites globally, according to W3Techs (2025), making it an attractive target for attackers. Plugin and theme vulnerabilities often act as entry points for malicious behaviors, such as SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Remote Code Execution (RCE), and privilege escalation.

Effective patch management is a critical defense strategy to minimize exposure to these risks. Research by Verizon (2025 Data Breach Investigations Report) indicates that 70% of breaches exploit vulnerabilities that have known fixes but remain unpatched.

Notable Vulnerabilities and Patches – August 2025

The WordPress ecosystem saw various medium to high-risk vulnerabilities this month, some with widespread installations affecting millions of sites. The following curated list highlights key issues and mitigation measures to help maintain robust WordPress security.

1. Elementor Website Builder – Path Traversal Vulnerability

  • Security Risk: Medium
  • Exploitation Requirements: Administrator-level access required
  • Vulnerability: Path Traversal (CVE-2025-8081)
  • Impact: Over 10 million installations affected
  • Mitigation: Update to version 3.30.3 or later

This vulnerability allows attackers with admin rights to access restricted server files, posing risks to sensitive information confidentiality.

2. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) – Remote Code Execution (RCE)

  • Security Risk: Low
  • Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution (RCE)
  • Installation Base: Over 2 million active sites
  • Patched in: Version 3.5.2 and above

RCE vulnerabilities can allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the webserver, which can lead to full site compromise.

Top Plugin Vulnerabilities Disclosed

Many popular WordPress plugins released patches addressing issues related to Broken Access Control, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Sensitive Data Exposure, and Arbitrary File Deletion.

  1. Ultimate Addons for Elementor: Broken Access Control affecting 2 million+ installations (CVE-2025-8488). Requires subscriber-level authentication. Update to 2.4.7.
  2. Redirection for Contact Form 7: High-risk Arbitrary File Deletion and PHP Object Injection vulnerabilities with no authentication required (CVE-2025-8141, CVE-2025-8289). Update to 3.2.5.
  3. FileBird – WordPress Media Library: High-risk SQL Injection (CVE-2025-6986) with author-level access required. Update to 6.4.9.
  4. WP Import Export Lite: Critical Arbitrary File Upload vulnerabilities requiring subscriber authentication (CVE-2025-5061, CVE-2025-6207). Updates 3.9.29 and 3.9.30 address these issues.

Other significant plugin patches included fixes for:

  • Essential Addons for Elementor – Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  • WP Statistics – Broken Access Control
  • LatePoint Calendar Plugin – Local File Inclusion
  • GreenShift Animation Blocks – Broken Access Control
  • GiveWP Donation Platform – Sensitive Data Exposure and Broken Access Control

Theme Vulnerabilities to Monitor

The following WordPress themes were identified with vulnerabilities ranging from broken access control to local file inclusion, some of which currently have no available patch and may warrant cautious use or replacement:

  • ColorMag: Broken Access Control with over 4 million downloads. Patch available in version 4.0.20.
  • Zakra and Spacious: Broken Access Control vulnerabilities patched in recent updates.
  • Eximious Magazine: Local File Inclusion vulnerability with no fix available; consider discontinuation.
  • Modernize: Cross Site Scripting and Broken Access Control issues remain unpatched; replacement advised.

Key Points for WordPress Security Management

  • Prioritize timely updates: Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins up to date to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
  • Implement role-based access control: Limit permissions to reduce risk posed by compromised accounts.
  • Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAF): WAFs can virtually patch vulnerabilities and block malicious requests in real time.
  • Regularly audit installed components: Remove unused or unsupported plugins and themes to shrink attack surfaces.
  • Stay informed: Engage with security communities, subscribe to vulnerability disclosures, and monitor security advisories.

Conclusion

August 2025 has underscored the persistent threat posed by vulnerabilities within the WordPress ecosystem. With millions of installations affected by critical security flaws, it is essential for website owners and administrators to diligently apply plugin and theme updates and strengthen their overall security posture. Utilizing a combination of timely patches, access control best practices, and security tools like firewalls can significantly reduce the risk of website compromises.

For those unable to patch immediately, deploying protective solutions such as web application firewalls provides an effective interim defense against exploitation attempts targeting known vulnerabilities.

Remember: The fastest and most effective method to secure your WordPress site is through consistent, proactive vulnerability management.