CVE-2025-1565: Mayosis Core Path Traversal Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1565 Overview

The Mayosis Core plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to, and including, 5.4.1 via the library/wave-audio/peaks/remote_dl.php file. This Path Traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) allows unauthenticated attackers to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information such as configuration files, credentials, and other confidential data.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can remotely read any file on the WordPress server, potentially exposing sensitive configuration data, database credentials, and other confidential information.

Affected Products

• Mayosis Core WordPress Plugin versions up to and including 5.4.1
• WordPress sites using the Mayosis Digital Marketplace Theme
• WordPress installations with vulnerable Mayosis Core plugin configurations

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-25 - CVE-2025-1565 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1565

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is a classic Path Traversal (Directory Traversal) flaw that exists within the library/wave-audio/peaks/remote_dl.php file of the Mayosis Core plugin. The vulnerable endpoint fails to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied input before using it to construct file paths for reading operations. This allows attackers to manipulate the file path parameter to traverse outside of the intended directory structure and access arbitrary files on the server.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without requiring any authentication, user interaction, or special privileges. When successfully exploited, attackers gain unauthorized read access to sensitive files on the web server, including critical configuration files like wp-config.php which contains database credentials, authentication keys, and other sensitive WordPress configuration settings.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation in the remote_dl.php file. The file handling functionality does not adequately sanitize user-provided file path inputs, failing to filter or reject path traversal sequences such as ../ (dot-dot-slash). This allows attackers to break out of the intended directory and navigate to any location on the filesystem accessible by the web server process.

Attack Vector

The attack exploits the network-accessible remote_dl.php endpoint. An unauthenticated attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request containing path traversal sequences to read arbitrary files. The attacker manipulates the file path parameter to include directory traversal characters, allowing them to escape the intended directory and access sensitive system or application files.

For example, an attacker could target files such as wp-config.php, /etc/passwd, or other configuration files containing credentials and sensitive data. Since no authentication is required, any remote attacker with network access to the WordPress site can exploit this vulnerability.

Technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1565

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /wp-content/plugins/mayosis-core/library/wave-audio/peaks/remote_dl.php containing path traversal sequences like ../
• Unusual access patterns to the remote_dl.php file from external IP addresses
• Web server logs showing requests with encoded path traversal characters (%2e%2e%2f or %252e%252e%252f)
• Evidence of attempted access to sensitive files like wp-config.php or /etc/passwd through the plugin endpoint

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for requests to remote_dl.php containing suspicious path patterns
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal attempts
• Use file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized reads of sensitive configuration files
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with rules for detecting directory traversal attacks

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging on the WordPress site and web server to capture full request URIs
• Set up alerts for any access to the vulnerable remote_dl.php endpoint
• Monitor for unusual outbound data transfers that may indicate successful file exfiltration
• Review access logs regularly for requests containing ../ or encoded variants

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1565

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Mayosis Core plugin to a version newer than 5.4.1 that contains the security patch
• If an update is not immediately available, disable or remove the Mayosis Core plugin until patched
• Implement WAF rules to block requests containing path traversal patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Review server logs for evidence of prior exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Organizations should update the Mayosis Core plugin to the latest available version that addresses this vulnerability. Check the ThemeForest Item Overview for the latest version information and update instructions. Additionally, review the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for detailed remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Block access to the vulnerable file by adding a deny rule in .htaccess or web server configuration
• Use a WAF to filter requests containing directory traversal patterns
• Implement server-level file access restrictions to limit the web server's read permissions
• Consider temporarily disabling the plugin's wave-audio functionality if it is not business-critical

# Apache .htaccess workaround to block access to vulnerable endpoint
<Files "remote_dl.php">
    Order Allow,Deny
    Deny from all
</Files>

# Alternative: Block directory traversal patterns in requests
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\./|\.\.\\) [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (\.\./|\.\.\\) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]