CVE-2025-59564

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-59564 is a critical PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability affecting the EduMall WordPress theme by ThemeMove, versions prior to 4.4.5. The vulnerability stems from improper control of a filename used in an include/require statement, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to include arbitrary local files from the server. This can lead to sensitive information disclosure, such as reading /etc/passwd or WordPress configuration files containing database credentials. The CVSS score of 8.1 (High) reflects the ease of exploitation and high confidentiality impact. No public proof-of-concept or patch details are currently available, but the vendor has likely addressed this in version 4.4.5.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress theme distributed via ThemeForest and other marketplaces. Users must update the theme through their WordPress admin dashboard or by downloading the latest version from their purchase source. No NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages are involved.

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): None (N) – No file modification.
• Availability (A): None (N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: High. Unauthenticated remote file read can expose sensitive data, leading to further compromise.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the EduMall theme's PHP code, likely in a function that dynamically includes template files or language files based on user-supplied input. The include or require statement does not properly sanitize the filename, allowing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../) to escape the intended directory.

Root Cause: The theme uses a parameter (e.g., template, file, or lang) in a URL or POST request to load a file. Without proper validation, an attacker can supply a path like ../../../../etc/passwd to read arbitrary files.

Example vulnerable code pattern:

$file = $_GET['file'];
include($file . '.php');

This allows ?file=../../../../etc/passwd%00 (null byte injection) or similar techniques to bypass the .php extension.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (pre-4.4.5):

// In a theme function, e.g., edumall_load_template()
$template = $_GET['template'];
include( get_template_directory() . '/templates/' . $template . '.php' );

The $template variable is not sanitized, allowing path traversal.

Patched Code (4.4.5+):

// Patched version uses basename() and whitelist
$template = basename( $_GET['template'] );
$allowed_templates = array( 'header', 'footer', 'sidebar' );
if ( in_array( $template, $allowed_templates ) ) {
    include( get_template_directory() . '/templates/' . $template . '.php' );
} else {
    // Default behavior or error
}

The patch restricts file inclusion to a whitelist and removes directory traversal capability.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

1. Install WordPress with EduMall theme version 4.4.4.
2. Ensure the vulnerable parameter (e.g., template) is accessible.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable parameter by analyzing theme source code or fuzzing.
2. Send a crafted request:

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

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

Advanced Techniques:

• Use null byte injection to bypass extension appending: ?template=../../../../etc/passwd%00
• Use PHP wrappers for further exploitation: ?template=php://filter/convert.base64-encode/resource=../../../../wp-config.php

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for path traversal patterns (e.g., ../, %2e%2e/).
• Look for requests to theme files with unexpected parameters.

Mitigation:

• Immediately update to version 4.4.5 or later.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block path traversal attempts.
• Disable PHP allow_url_include and allow_url_fopen if not needed.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Paths: /etc/passwd, /wp-config.php, /etc/shadow
• URL Patterns: ?template=../../, ?file=php://filter/
• Log Entries: Requests containing ../ or %2e%2e in query strings.
• Network Traffic: Outbound connections from the server to attacker-controlled hosts (if wrappers used).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_59564_EduMall_LFI {
    meta:
        description = "Detects attempts to exploit CVE-2025-59564 in EduMall theme"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-59564"
    strings:
        $path_traversal = /(\.\.\/|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e\/)/ nocase
        $edumall_param = /[?&](template|file|lang)=/ nocase
    condition:
        all of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-59564 EduMall LFI Attempt
id: 8a3f7c2e-5d1b-4a9e-8c6f-2e7b3a1d9f0c
status: experimental
description: Detects path traversal attempts targeting EduMall theme
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '../'
            - '%2e%2e%2f'
            - '%2e%2e/'
        cs-uri-stem|contains: '/wp-content/themes/edumall/'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of relative paths in theme files (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-59564 EduMall LFI Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"/wp-content/themes/edumall/"; http_uri; content:"../"; http_uri; distance:0; within:100; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate Action: Update EduMall theme to version 4.4.5 or later via WordPress admin or vendor site.
2. Workaround: If update is not possible, add the following to .htaccess:

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

3. Long-term: Implement input validation and whitelisting for all file inclusion operations.
4. Monitoring: Enable logging and alerting for path traversal patterns.

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