The attacks behind this headline were part of a September 2020 campaign exploiting CVE-2020-25213, a critical flaw in the WordPress File Manager plugin. The vulnerable connector let unauthenticated attackers upload files and run commands through a PHP webshell. The attack counts reported at the time describe that campaign, not current activity.
What was the WordPress File Manager vulnerability?
The 2020 incident involved CVE-2020-25213 in the WordPress File Manager plugin. The plugin included code from the elFinder project and renamed its connector.minimal.php.dist file to connector.minimal.php. According to SecurityWeek, that left the connector directly executable. Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 explained that the connector lacked access restrictions and enabled unauthenticated file uploads.
An attacker could use the upload capability to place a PHP webshell on a vulnerable site, then issue commands through it. This made the flaw more than a file-upload bug: it could provide a path to remote code execution.
How widespread were the September 2020 attacks?
SecurityWeek relayed figures from Wordfence Threat Intelligence showing attacks targeting more than 1.7 million sites within days of the early-September patch, and 2.6 million sites as of September 10, 2020. Wordfence also reported more than 370,000 separate source IP addresses. These are dated campaign observations, not current attack totals. SecurityWeek said the plugin had more than 700,000 active installs at the time.
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What did attackers do after exploiting the flaw?
Credential theft and modified files
SecurityWeek reported that one actor, identified as “bajatax,” modified the vulnerable connector and added code that sent user credentials through Telegram’s API. On sites with WooCommerce installed, the actor reportedly modified two additional files to steal credentials.
Backdoors and WordPress core changes
A second actor reportedly placed two copies of a backdoor: one in the webroot and another in a writable folder with a randomized name. That actor also modified WordPress core files. Some infected sites contained malware associated with more than one actor, according to SecurityWeek’s account of Wordfence reporting.
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Kinsing and cryptojacking in later observations
In a separate report based on observations from December 2020, Unit 42 described attackers exploiting CVE-2020-25213 to upload webshells and install Kinsing, malware used in cryptojacking activity. Unit 42 described the eventual objective as cryptojacking in container environments. This was a distinct set of observations; it does not mean every site targeted in September received Kinsing.
What should you do if File Manager is installed?
- Update the plugin. For the 2020 incident, SecurityWeek relayed advice to update File Manager promptly. Updating removes the vulnerable version of the plugin, but does not establish that a site already exploited is clean.
- Scan the site for compromise. Check for malicious files or code, including unexpected changes to the plugin, WordPress core files, and other site files. The 2020 reporting supports scanning and remediation, but does not establish a definitive test that can prove an individual site was never compromised.
- Remove malicious code found. If a scan or investigation identifies malicious changes, remediate them rather than relying on an update alone. The cited reporting does not provide a complete forensic or rebuild procedure, so a site with suspected compromise may need qualified incident-response help.
How does the 2026 File Manager advisory differ?
A separate advisory published September 26, 2026 concerns CVE-2026-19708, not the 2020 arbitrary-upload flaw. The GitHub Security Advisory describes unauthenticated downloads of database backup archives, potentially exposing database contents, in File Manager versions before 8.0.5 when server directory protections did not apply. It assigns a CVSS score of 5.9.
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The two vulnerabilities differ in the capability exposed and the reported conditions:
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| Issue | Reported vulnerability | Scope and impact | Version guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-25213 | Unauthenticated file upload through an exposed elFinder connector | Reported in 2020; attackers could upload webshells and execute commands | Update promptly; the cited 2020 report does not state a current affected-version range |
| CVE-2026-19708 | Unauthenticated download of database backup archives where directory protections fail | Advisory published September 26, 2026; database contents could be exposed | Advisory says versions before 8.0.5; confirm current release guidance in the plugin’s official listing or changelog |
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