{"id":25673,"date":"2025-04-17T09:58:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T09:58:08","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-24T06:37:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T06:37:50","slug":"cve-2025-2636-critical-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability-in-instawp-connect-plugin-for-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-2636-critical-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability-in-instawp-connect-plugin-for-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-2636: Critical Local File Inclusion Vulnerability in InstaWP Connect Plugin for WordPress<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the realm of website security, the importance of ensuring the integrity of WordPress plugins cannot be overstated. This blog post explores CVE-2025-2636, a critical vulnerability found in the InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress. The vulnerability affects all versions<\/a> up to, and including, 0.1.0.85. This issue is significant because it allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary files<\/a> on the server, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-2636
\nSeverity: Critical (CVSS 9.8)
\nAttack Vector: Local\/Network
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: None
\nImpact: System compromise, data leakage<\/a><\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress<\/a> | All versions up to, and including, 0.1.0.85<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability lies in the ‘instawp-database-manager’ parameter of the InstaWP Connect plugin<\/a>. The parameter is vulnerable to a Local File<\/a> Inclusion (LFI) attack, which allows an attacker to include and execute arbitrary files on the server. This can include any PHP code in those files, even if they are images or other \u201csafe\u201d file<\/a> types. The attacker can use this vulnerability to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or execute malicious code<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited<\/a> using a HTTP request:<\/p>\n

GET \/wp-content\/plugins\/instawp-connect\/load.php?instawp-database-manager=..\/..\/..\/..\/etc\/passwd HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, the attacker tries to read the ‘\/etc\/passwd’ file of the target server by using directory traversal<\/a> characters (‘..\/..\/’) in the ‘instawp-database-manager’ parameter.
\nPlease note that this is a conceptual example and does not represent an actual attack. It is provided for educational purposes only.<\/p>\n
Mitigation and Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n
Given the severity of this vulnerability<\/a>, users are strongly advised to immediately update the InstaWP Connect plugin to the latest version, which includes a patch for this vulnerability. If patching is not immediately possible, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can offer temporary mitigation. However, these measures should not replace patching, as they may not completely protect against all possible exploitation methods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In the realm of website security, the importance of ensuring the integrity of WordPress plugins cannot be overstated. This blog post explores CVE-2025-2636, a critical vulnerability found in the InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress. The vulnerability affects all versions up to, and including, 0.1.0.85. This issue is significant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[85],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-25673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-directory-traversal"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t