CVE-2025-10428: Pet Grooming Management RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-10428 Overview

CVE-2025-10428 is an unrestricted file upload vulnerability in SourceCodester Pet Grooming Management Software 1.0. The flaw resides in the /admin/seo_setting.php file within the Setting Handler component. Attackers manipulate the website_image parameter to upload arbitrary files to the server. The attack is initiated remotely and requires low-privilege authentication. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing exposure for unpatched installations.

Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can upload arbitrary files through the SEO settings interface, potentially leading to malicious content hosting or code execution depending on server configuration.

Affected Products

Mayurik Pet Grooming Management Software 1.0
SourceCodester distribution of Pet Grooming Management Software
Deployments referencing cpe:2.3:a:mayurik:pet_grooming_management_software:1.0

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-15 - CVE-2025-10428 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-10428

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the SEO settings handler at /admin/seo_setting.php. The application accepts file uploads through the website_image parameter without enforcing sufficient restrictions on file type, extension, or content. This maps to two related weaknesses: [CWE-284] Improper Access Control and [CWE-434] Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type.

An authenticated attacker with access to the admin interface submits a crafted HTTP POST request containing a file with a dangerous extension. Because the upload handler fails to validate the file properly, the attacker places attacker-controlled content into a location served by the web application. The impact scope covers confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a limited level, reflecting constrained exploitation conditions.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing server-side validation of uploaded files in the seo_setting.php handler. The code does not enforce allowlists on MIME types, extensions, or magic bytes for the website_image field. Combined with insufficient access control on the admin endpoint, the flaw enables arbitrary file placement.

Attack Vector

The attack proceeds over the network and requires low-level privileges on the target application. An attacker authenticates to the admin panel, navigates to the SEO settings page, and submits a multipart form request with the website_image parameter pointing to a malicious file. No user interaction beyond the attacker's session is required.

See the GitHub Configuration Documentation and VulDB #323862 for technical details of the disclosed exploit path.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-10428

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected files in upload directories associated with SEO settings, particularly executable server-side scripts such as .php, .phtml, or .phar files
HTTP POST requests to /admin/seo_setting.php containing multipart form data with the website_image parameter and non-image content
Web server access logs showing subsequent GET requests to uploaded filenames that do not match legitimate site imagery

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server and application logs for POST requests to /admin/seo_setting.php and correlate with filenames written to the uploads directory
Deploy file integrity monitoring on directories writable by the web application to alert on new files with script extensions
Configure web application firewall rules to flag multipart uploads to the SEO settings endpoint containing non-image MIME types or dangerous extensions

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on the admin directory and forward events to a centralized log store for retention and search
Alert on process creation by the web server user, since arbitrary file execution would spawn child processes under the PHP or web daemon account
Monitor outbound network connections from the web server host to detect post-exploitation callbacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-10428

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to the /admin/ directory using network controls or authentication proxies until a patch is applied
Audit the SEO settings upload directory and remove any files that are not verified as legitimate images
Rotate credentials for administrative accounts on the application to invalidate any sessions harvested during exploitation

Patch Information

No vendor patch has been published in the referenced advisories at the time of writing. Track the VulDB entry and the SourceCodester Resource Hub for updates from the vendor.

Workarounds

Modify the upload handler to validate file extensions against an allowlist of image formats such as .jpg, .png, and .gif, and verify content using magic byte inspection
Configure the web server to disable script execution in the uploads directory, for example by removing PHP handler mappings for that path
Enforce strong authentication and rate limiting on the admin panel to reduce the pool of accounts able to reach the vulnerable endpoint

bash

# Example Apache configuration to disable script execution in uploads
<Directory "/var/www/pet-grooming/uploads">
    php_admin_flag engine off
    RemoveHandler .php .phtml .phar
    AddType text/plain .php .phtml .phar
    Options -ExecCGI
</Directory>