Overview
In today’s digital landscape, the security of WordPress themes continues to be a significant concern for developers and site owners alike. One such vulnerability that has recently come to light is CVE-2025-5394, associated with the Alone – Charity Multipurpose Non-profit WordPress Theme. This specific vulnerability allows for arbitrary file uploads, which can lead to significant security issues, such as remote code execution.
This vulnerability affects all versions of the Alone – Charity Multipurpose Non-profit WordPress Theme up to, and including, 7.8.3. It’s of particular concern because it provides an open door for unauthenticated attackers to execute code remotely on affected systems, potentially leading to system compromises or data leaks.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-5394
Severity: Critical (CVSS 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
Alone – Charity Multipurpose Non-profit WordPress Theme | Up to and including 7.8.3
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies in the alone_import_pack_install_plugin() function in the WordPress theme. This function does not correctly check user capabilities, enabling an attacker to upload arbitrary files, such as a zip file containing a webshell, disguised as a plugin. Once uploaded, this gives the attacker the ability to execute code remotely, potentially compromising the system or leading to data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
This is a conceptual example demonstrating how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability. The attacker could craft a malicious HTTP POST request, which uploads a zipped webshell disguised as a plugin:
POST /wp-content/themes/alone/functions.php?action=alone_import_pack_install_plugin HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="malicious.zip"
Content-Type: application/zip
{...malicious zip file content...}
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gWOnce the malicious file is uploaded, the attacker can then navigate to the file’s location to execute the webshell, gaining remote access to the system.
Mitigation Guidance
The most effective mitigation for this vulnerability is to apply the vendor-provided patch. If that’s not immediately possible, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. However, these are not long-term solutions and can only help to detect potential attacks, not prevent them. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to apply the patch as soon as possible to prevent potential system compromise or data leakage.