CVE-2025-24569

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-24569 is a Path Traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) affecting the PDF Generator Addon for Elementor Page Builder WordPress plugin, developed by RedefiningTheWeb. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to read arbitrary files outside the web root directory, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files, database credentials, or source code. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.7.5. No official patch has been released, and no public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code is currently available. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation activity in the wild, but the risk remains high due to the ease of exploitation and the sensitive nature of the data that could be exposed.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is specific to the WordPress plugin ecosystem. The plugin is distributed via the official WordPress Plugin Directory and third-party marketplaces. Users who have installed this plugin from any source are at risk. Since the plugin is not an NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby package, standard supply chain security measures for those ecosystems do not apply. However, the plugin’s update mechanism should be monitored, and users should verify the integrity of any future patches.

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: 7.5 (High)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – No authentication is needed.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – The attacker does not need to trick a user.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – The vulnerable component and the affected resource are in the same security authority.
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H) – Arbitrary file read can expose sensitive data.
• Integrity Impact: None (I:N) – No data modification is possible.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: High. The vulnerability is trivial to exploit and can lead to full disclosure of sensitive server-side files.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the PDF generation functionality of the plugin. When generating a PDF, the plugin likely accepts a user-supplied path or filename parameter without proper sanitization. An attacker can manipulate this parameter to traverse directories using sequences like ../ and read arbitrary files from the server’s filesystem.

Root Cause: The plugin fails to validate or sanitize the path input before passing it to file reading functions (e.g., file_get_contents(), fopen(), or similar PHP functions). This allows an attacker to break out of the intended directory (e.g., the plugin’s uploads or templates folder) and access any file readable by the web server user.

Attack Vector: The most likely attack vector is through a GET or POST parameter used to specify a template or source file for PDF generation. For example:

/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=generate_pdf&file=../../../../etc/passwd

or

/wp-content/plugins/pdf-generator-addon-for-elementor-page-builder/pdf.php?file=../../../../etc/passwd

Impact: An attacker can read:

• /etc/passwd (user enumeration)
• /etc/nginx/nginx.conf or /etc/apache2/apache2.conf (server configuration)
• wp-config.php (database credentials, salts, keys)
• Other plugin or theme source code (to find additional vulnerabilities)

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the following is a hypothetical comparison based on common fixes for path traversal vulnerabilities.

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

<?php
$file = $_GET['file'];
$content = file_get_contents($file);
// ... generate PDF from $content
?>

Patched Code (Conceptual):

<?php
$file = basename($_GET['file']); // Remove path components
$allowed_dir = '/var/www/html/wp-content/uploads/pdf-templates/';
$file_path = $allowed_dir . $file;
if (strpos(realpath($file_path), realpath($allowed_dir)) !== 0) {
    die('Invalid file.');
}
$content = file_get_contents($file_path);
// ... generate PDF from $content
?>

The patched version uses basename() to strip directory traversal sequences and then verifies that the resolved path is within the allowed directory using realpath().

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Attack Simulation)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress instance with the vulnerable plugin installed (version <= 1.7.5).
• Knowledge of the plugin’s AJAX action or endpoint (e.g., generate_pdf).

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint. Use a web proxy or browser developer tools to inspect requests made when generating a PDF. Look for parameters like file, template, path, or source.

2. Craft a path traversal payload. For example:

   GET /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=generate_pdf&file=../../../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1
   Host: target-site.com
   

3. Send the request. Use curl or a similar tool:

   curl -v "http://target-site.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=generate_pdf&file=../../../../etc/passwd"
   

4. Extract sensitive data. The response will contain the contents of the requested file, likely embedded in the PDF output or returned as raw text.

Example Payloads:

• Read WordPress configuration: file=../../../../wp-config.php
• Read Apache configuration: file=../../../../etc/apache2/apache2.conf
• Read system password file: file=../../../../etc/passwd

Blue Team (Defense & Detection)

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor web server logs for requests containing ../ or ..\\ sequences in parameters related to the PDF generator plugin.
2. Look for unusual file paths in the file parameter, especially those pointing to system directories like /etc/, /var/log/, or wp-config.php.
3. Set up file integrity monitoring on critical files (e.g., wp-config.php) to alert on unauthorized read attempts.
4. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block requests with path traversal patterns.

Honeypot Strategy:

• Create a fake file named wp-config.php.bak in the web root with a unique string. Monitor for access to this file via the PDF generator endpoint.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • HTTP requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=generate_pdf and a file parameter containing ../ sequences.
  • HTTP requests to any plugin endpoint with file=../../../../etc/passwd or similar patterns.
  • Unusual outbound data transfers from the web server (e.g., large PDF files containing system configuration).

• File System IOCs:

  • Unexpected access to /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, wp-config.php, or other sensitive files.
  • Temporary files created by the plugin in unexpected directories.

• Log IOCs:

  • Web server access logs showing 404 or 200 responses for requests with path traversal patterns.
  • PHP error logs indicating failed file reads or warnings about open_basedir restrictions.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_24569_Path_Traversal {
    meta:
        description = "Detects path traversal attempts targeting PDF Generator Addon for Elementor Page Builder"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-24569"
        severity = "high"
    strings:
        $traversal1 = /file=\.\.\/\.\.\/\.\.\/\.\.\// nocase
        $traversal2 = /file=\.\.\\\.\.\\\.\.\\\.\.\\/ nocase
        $traversal3 = /file=%2e%2e%2f%2e%2e%2f%2e%2e%2f%2e%2e%2f/ nocase
        $plugin_path = /pdf-generator-addon-for-elementor-page-builder/ nocase
    condition:
        any of ($traversal*) and $plugin_path
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-24569 Path Traversal in PDF Generator Addon for Elementor
id: 8a4b3c2d-1e5f-4a7b-9c8d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with path traversal patterns targeting the vulnerable plugin
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-24569
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_log
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - 'file=../'
            - 'file=..\\'
            - 'file=%2e%2e%2f'
            - 'file=%2e%2e%5c'
        cs-uri-stem|contains:
            - 'pdf-generator-addon-for-elementor-page-builder'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of relative paths in other plugins (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-24569 Path Traversal in PDF Generator Addon for Elementor"; flow:to_server,established; content:"pdf-generator-addon-for-elementor-page-builder"; http_uri; content:"file="; http_uri; pcre:"/file=(\.\.\/|\.\.\\|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e%5c)/i"; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin until a patch is released. This is the most effective mitigation.
2. If the plugin cannot be disabled, restrict access to its endpoints using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or .htaccess rules.
3. Implement virtual patching by adding the following rule to your WAF:

   SecRule ARGS "file=\.\./" "id:1000002,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'CVE-2025-24569 Path Traversal Attempt'"
   

Long-Term Fixes:

• Apply the official patch when it becomes available from the vendor.
• Monitor the plugin’s update channel for a patched version.
• Consider replacing the plugin with an alternative that is actively maintained and has a good security track record.

Configuration Hardening:

• Set open_basedir in php.ini to restrict PHP file access to the web root only.
• Ensure the web server runs with the least privileges necessary (e.g., www-data user).
• Regularly audit WordPress plugins for known vulnerabilities.

Valters IT