CVE-2025-14430

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-14430 is a critical PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability discovered in the Thememove Brook WordPress theme, affecting all versions up to and including 2.9.0. The vulnerability stems from improper control of filenames used in PHP include/require statements, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to read arbitrary files from the server's filesystem. This can lead to the exposure of sensitive data such as wp-config.php, database credentials, and other configuration files. The CVSS score of 8.1 (High) reflects the ease of exploitation and the potential for significant information disclosure. As a WordPress ecosystem issue, this vulnerability directly impacts sites running the Brook theme and does not involve server-level software like Apache or Nginx.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a commercial WordPress theme distributed via ThemeForest and other marketplaces. The supply chain risk is elevated because:

• No official patch has been released as of this analysis.
• End-of-life (EOL) status is unknown, meaning the vendor may not provide a fix.
• Widespread use of the theme increases the attack surface.
• No OSV or GitHub advisory exists, limiting automated detection and remediation.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
• Base Score: 8.1 (High)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No victim action required.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – Vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H) – Full file read capability.
• Integrity Impact: None (I:N) – No file modification.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: High. The combination of remote, unauthenticated access with low complexity makes this a prime target for automated scanning and exploitation.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the Brook theme's PHP code, specifically in functions that handle file inclusion without proper sanitization. The theme likely uses a parameter (e.g., page, template, or include) to dynamically load PHP files. An attacker can manipulate this parameter to include arbitrary files from the server's filesystem using path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../../etc/passwd).

Root Cause: The theme fails to validate or sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to PHP functions like include(), require(), or file_get_contents(). This allows an attacker to specify a file path outside the intended directory.

Exploitation Scenario:

1. Attacker identifies a vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /?page=../../../../etc/passwd).
2. The server includes the specified file, outputting its contents in the HTTP response.
3. Attacker reads sensitive files like wp-config.php to obtain database credentials.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no official patch is available, the following is a hypothetical comparison based on common LFI fixes.

Vulnerable Code (PHP):

<?php
$page = $_GET['page'];
include("pages/" . $page . ".php");
?>

Patched Code (PHP):

<?php
$allowed_pages = ['home', 'about', 'contact'];
$page = $_GET['page'];
if (in_array($page, $allowed_pages)) {
    include("pages/" . $page . ".php");
} else {
    // Handle error
}
?>

Key Differences:

• Input Validation: Patched code uses a whitelist of allowed values.
• Path Traversal Prevention: Patched code does not concatenate user input directly.
• Error Handling: Patched code gracefully rejects invalid input.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Environment:

• WordPress 6.x with Brook theme 2.9.0
• Local server (e.g., XAMPP, Docker)
• Target URL: http://localhost/wordpress

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify vulnerable parameter: Use fuzzing or source code review to find parameters like page, template, include.
2. Craft payload: http://localhost/wordpress/?page=../../../../../../etc/passwd
3. Execute: Send request using curl or browser.
4. Extract data: Read /etc/passwd or wp-config.php.

Example curl command:

curl "http://localhost/wordpress/?page=../../../../../../etc/passwd"

Expected output:

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/usr/sbin/nologin
...

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor web server logs for path traversal patterns (e.g., ../, %2e%2e%2f).
2. Deploy WAF rules to block ../ sequences in GET/POST parameters.
3. Audit file inclusion functions in the theme's PHP code.
4. Implement file integrity monitoring for critical files like wp-config.php.

Honeypot Setup:

• Create a fake wp-config.php with decoy credentials to alert on access.
• Use a canary token in a sensitive file to trigger alerts.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• HTTP requests containing ../ or %2e%2e%2f in query parameters.
• Requests to /?page=../../../../etc/passwd or similar.
• Unusual file paths in Referer or User-Agent headers.

File System IOCs:

• Unexpected access to /etc/passwd, wp-config.php, or other sensitive files.
• Modified timestamps on theme files (e.g., brook/functions.php).

Log IOCs:

• Web server logs showing 404 or 200 responses for non-existent paths.
• PHP error logs with include() failures.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_14430_LFI_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects LFI attempts targeting Thememove Brook theme"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-14430"
    strings:
        $path_traversal = /(\.\.\/|%2e%2e%2f|%252e%252e%252f)/
        $brook_param = /(\?|&)(page|template|include)=/
    condition:
        $path_traversal and $brook_param
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-14430 LFI Attempt on Brook Theme
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects path traversal attempts in HTTP requests targeting Brook theme
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        c-uri|contains:
            - '..%2f'
            - '%2e%2e%2f'
            - '../'
        c-uri|contains|all:
            - 'page='
            - 'template='
            - 'include='
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of relative paths in some plugins
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-14430 LFI Attempt on Brook Theme"; flow:to_server,established; content:"../"; http_uri; content:"page="; http_uri; distance:0; within:100; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the Brook theme and switch to a secure alternative.
2. Apply a virtual patch using a WAF to block path traversal patterns.
3. Restrict file permissions on sensitive files (e.g., chmod 600 wp-config.php).

Long-term Fixes:

1. Contact ThemeMove for an official patch or update.
2. Audit all custom code for unsafe include()/require() calls.
3. Implement input validation using whitelists and basename() functions.
4. Use a security plugin like Wordfence to monitor for LFI attempts.

Workaround (if patching is not possible):

• Add the following to .htaccess to block common LFI patterns:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\./|%2e%2e%2f) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]

Valters IT signature: This report is provided for educational and defensive purposes only. Unauthorized exploitation of this vulnerability is illegal.