Vulnerability report

Exploitation attempts observed in the wild High confidence Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2025-2636

InstaWP Connect <= 0.1.0.85 - Unauthenticated Local PHP File Inclusion

Instawp Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration · * to <= 0.1.0.85

Watch CVE-2025-2636 Browse KEV feed
Severity
CVSS 8.1 · High
Confidence
High
Exploit status
Exploitation attempts observed in the wild
EPSS
10.6%
First observed
—
Last observed
—

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2025-2636 is an unauthenticated InstaWP Connect <= 0.1.0.85 - Unauthenticated Local PHP File Inclusion. The InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File...

Have exploitation attempts been observed?

Yes. Exploitation attempts have been reported for this vulnerability. Previdian lists it as a known exploited vulnerability. Also reported by third-party sources. Confidence is high.

Who is affected?

InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration * to <= 0.1.0.85.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

InstaWP Connect <= 0.1.0.85 - Unauthenticated Local PHP File Inclusion

The InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 0.1.0.85 via the 'instawp-database-manager' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include and execute arbitrary files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files.

This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where images and other “safe” file types can be uploaded and included.

instawp Affected
InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration
Through 0.1.0.85
Published
11 Apr 2025
Exploitation Attempts Reported
11 Sep 2026
Attack vector
Remote
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None

Tags

wordpress php nuclei_scanner

CVE References

Exploitation evidence

Evidence of exploitation attempts

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploitation attempts observed in the wild

The Shadowserver

Recorded 11 Sep 2026

A trusted third party reported exploitation attempts.

Proof of concept available

Nuclei Templates

Recorded 12 Jun 2026

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the Previdian Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access
Source Added
The Shadowserver First 2026-09-11 00:00 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Virtual patch status

No Previdian virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner Reference Detected
Nuclei https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2025/CVE-2025-2636.yaml 02 Jun 2025

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

8.1 High

Potential damage if exploited. Separate from whether attackers are using it.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

10.6%

Estimated chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Previdian's warning comes from evidence, not this score.

Weaknesses

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') CWE-22

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

InstaWP Connect < 0.1.0.86 - Local PHP File Inclusion

nuclei · Created Unknown

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation attempts

  1. 00:00 UTC

    Added to Previdian KEV Feed

    High-confidence, third-party report of exploitation attempts

  2. 14:20 UTC

    Public PoC available

    Public proof-of-concept code published

  3. 14:11 UTC

    Nuclei template available

    Scanner coverage available

  4. 04:21 UTC

    CVE published

    Vulnerability disclosed publicly

  5. 22:12 UTC

    CVE ID reserved

    Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

Automate this intelligence

Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

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  • Evidence confidence and provenance
  • First-party sensor telemetry
  • PoC and scanner references
  • Affected versions and enrichment
  • Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2025-2636

Sample API response 
{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2025-2636",
  "confidence": "High",
  "cvss_score": 8.1,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.10597,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}