Overview
In the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity, it is crucial to keep abreast of the latest vulnerabilities that may affect your digital ecosystem. One such vulnerability that has recently surfaced and is garnering significant attention is the CVE-2025-52811. This security flaw is a Path Traversal vulnerability present in the Creanncy Davenport – Versatile Blog and Magazine WordPress Theme. It allows PHP Local File Inclusion, posing serious threats to individuals and organizations using affected versions of this theme. The severity of this vulnerability is underpinned by its potential to compromise systems or lead to data leakage, making it a critical issue that demands immediate action.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-52811
Severity: High, CVSS Score 8.1
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: The successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to potential system compromise or data leakage.
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Creanncy Davenport – Versatile Blog and Magazine WordPress Theme | n/a through 1.3
How the Exploit Works
The CVE-2025-52811 vulnerability exploits a flaw in the WordPress theme’s file inclusion procedures. An attacker can manipulate the file path in a request to the server, essentially tricking the server into accessing and executing a local file outside of the intended directory. This is known as a Path Traversal attack or directory traversal, and in this case, it can lead to PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI). The LFI allows an attacker to include and execute PHP files from the local server, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data or even a complete system takeover.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited. It’s a simple HTTP request where an attacker manipulates the file path:
GET /wp-content/themes/davenport/download.php?file=../../../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1
Host: targetsite.com
In this example, the attacker is attempting to access the ‘passwd’ file, a critical system file in Unix-based operating systems. If the server is vulnerable and improperly configured, it might return the content of this file, revealing sensitive information.
Mitigation Steps
The best course of action to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. If the patch is not immediately available or applicable, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. These systems can be configured to identify and block path traversal attempts, thus securing your system against this specific vulnerability. Regular audits and penetration tests can also help identify any remaining vulnerabilities in your system.