Overview
In this post, we’re going to discuss a critical vulnerability found in the Support Board plugin for WordPress, identified as CVE-2025-4828. This security flaw allows an attacker to delete arbitrary files on the server due to insufficient file path validation. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 3.8.0 of the plugin. Given WordPress’s widespread use, this vulnerability could have a significant impact on a vast array of websites, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-4828
Severity: Critical (9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Support Board Plugin for WordPress | Up to and including 3.8.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability resides in the sb_file_delete function where there is insufficient file path validation. This allows an attacker to send a specially crafted request to delete arbitrary files on the server, such as the wp-config.php file. The deletion of this file can lead to remote code execution. Furthermore, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability unauthenticated, leveraging the CVE-2025-4855 vulnerability.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of a malicious HTTP request that could exploit this vulnerability:
POST /sb_file_delete HTTP/1.1
Host: victimwebsite.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
file_path=../wp-config.phpIn this example, an attacker sends a POST request to the sb_file_delete endpoint, specifying the relative path to the wp-config.php file in the ‘file_path’ parameter. This could result in the deletion of the wp-config.php file, leading to potential remote code execution.
Mitigation Guidance
Users can apply a patch provided by the vendor to fix this vulnerability. In the absence of a patch, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used to temporarily mitigate the risk. These systems should be configured to detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability, such as requests to the sb_file_delete endpoint with a suspicious ‘file_path’ parameter.