---
id: CVE-2025-13972
title: >-
  The WatchTowerHQ plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file read via
  the 'wht_download_big_object_origin' parameter in all versions up to, and
  including, 3.16.0
summary: >-
  The WatchTowerHQ plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file read via
  the 'wht_download_big_object_origin' parameter in all versions up to, and
  including, 3.16.0. This is due to insufficient path validation in the
  handle_big_obj…
severity: medium
cvss: 4.9
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N'
cwe:
  - CWE-22
published: '2025-12-12'
updated: '2026-10-14'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-14T17:10:00.210'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-13972'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/watchtowerhq/tags/3.15.0/src/Download.php#L104
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/watchtowerhq/trunk/src/Download.php#L104
    label: security@wordfence.com
  - url: >-
      https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/13fcbff8-8560-48ca-82df-8b620961d9c6?source=cve
    label: security@wordfence.com
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00513
epssPercentile: 0.42254
ingestedAt: '2026-10-14T17:44:53.603Z'
---

## Overview

The WatchTowerHQ plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file read via the 'wht_download_big_object_origin' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.16.0. This is due to insufficient path validation in the handle_big_object_download_request function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and a valid access token, to read arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information such as database credentials and authentication keys.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.