Cybersecurity professionals consider CVE-2025-13516 an immediate threat requiring urgent mitigation.
Status: Received on 02 Dec 2025, 09:15 UTC
Published on: 02 Dec 2025, 09:15 UTC
CVSS Release: version 3
security@wordfence.com
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2025-13516: The SureMail – SMTP and Email Logs Plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type in versions up to and including 1.9.0. This is due to the plugin's save_file() function in inc/emails/handler/uploads.php which duplicates all email attachments to a web-accessible directory (wp-content/uploads/suremails/attachments/) without validating file extensions or content types. Files are saved with predictable names derived from MD5 hashes of their content. While the plugin attempts to protect this directory with an Apache .htaccess file to disable PHP execution, this protection is ineffective on nginx, IIS, and Lighttpd servers, or on misconfigured Apache installations. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to achieve Remote Code Execution by uploading malicious PHP files through any public form that emails attachments, calculating the predictable filename, and directly accessing the file to execute arbitrary code granted they are exploiting a site running on an affected web server configuration.
The exploitability of CVE-2025-13516 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2025-13516 presents a challenge to exploit due to its high attack complexity, but the absence of privilege requirements still makes it a viable target for skilled attackers. A thorough security review is advised.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2025-13516, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2025-13516, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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