# CVE-2025-9501: W3 Total Cache < 2.8.13 - Unauthenticated Command Injection

> Unauthenticated attackers can execute arbitrary PHP commands via malicious comments in the W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Nov 2025
- **Updated:** 17 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wx46-pc78-pqhq

## What is CVE-2025-9501?

CVE-2025-9501 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Unknown W3 Total Cache, published on 17 Nov 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin before 2.8.13 is vulnerable to command injection via the _parse_dynamic_mfunc function, allowing unauthenticated users to execute PHP commands by submitting a comment with a malicious payload to a post.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-9501?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-9501?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-9501 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-9501 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-9501 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2025-9501 (github_poc): https://github.com/InnerFireZ/CVE-2025_9501-POC

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-9501 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-9501 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Unknown W3 Total Cache, published on 17 Nov 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-9501 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Unknown W3 Total Cache. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9501/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9501/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-9501
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-9501
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-9501

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9501/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.