CVE-2025-49313: BRW ova-brw Path Traversal Vulnerability

CVE-2025-49313 Overview

CVE-2025-49313 is a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the ovatheme BRW WordPress plugin (ova-brw). The flaw stems from improper control of filename parameters used in PHP include or require statements [CWE-98]. Authenticated attackers with low privileges can leverage the issue to load arbitrary local files through the vulnerable include path.

The vulnerability affects all BRW plugin versions up to and including 1.8.6. Successful exploitation enables disclosure of sensitive server-side files, execution of attacker-controlled PHP content already present on the filesystem, and potential full site compromise.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can read arbitrary files and execute attacker-supplied PHP available on disk, leading to confidentiality, integrity, and availability loss on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

• ovatheme BRW (ova-brw) WordPress plugin versions through 1.8.6
• WordPress sites using vulnerable BRW plugin builds
• Hosting environments running PHP with the vulnerable plugin enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-06 - CVE-2025-49313 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49313

Vulnerability Analysis

The BRW plugin processes a user-controllable parameter that is passed into a PHP include or require statement without proper allowlisting or path normalization. This pattern, classified under [CWE-98], allows an authenticated user to influence which file PHP loads during request processing.

Because WordPress executes plugin code with the privileges of the web server, any file loaded by the include statement runs in that context. An attacker who can place PHP content on the host, through log poisoning, file uploads, or session files, can chain those primitives into remote code execution.

The vulnerability requires low-privileged authentication and network access. Exploitation complexity is elevated because the attacker must control reachable filesystem content or known sensitive paths.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient validation of a filename parameter passed to a dynamic include directive in the ova-brw plugin. The plugin does not constrain the path to a trusted directory and does not sanitize traversal sequences. As a result, untrusted input determines which PHP file is loaded and executed.

Attack Vector

An authenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to a BRW plugin endpoint that accepts the vulnerable parameter. The supplied value resolves to an arbitrary path on the server, such as configuration files, credential stores, or attacker-staged PHP content. PHP includes the target file and executes any PHP within it during the request.

The vulnerability manifests when the plugin concatenates user input into an include path. See the Patchstack WordPress Plugin Vulnerability advisory for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49313

Indicators of Compromise

• Web server access logs containing requests to BRW plugin endpoints with path traversal sequences such as ../ or absolute paths in query or POST parameters
• Unexpected PHP errors referencing include(), require(), or failed to open stream originating from wp-content/plugins/ova-brw/
• Access to sensitive files such as wp-config.php, /etc/passwd, or session files immediately following BRW plugin requests
• New or modified PHP files in writable WordPress directories shortly after suspicious BRW requests

Detection Strategies

• Inspect HTTP request parameters sent to ova-brw endpoints for filesystem paths, null bytes, and directory traversal patterns
• Correlate authenticated WordPress sessions with anomalous plugin parameter values and high-volume include errors
• Apply web application firewall signatures for LFI payload patterns targeting WordPress plugin parameters
• Hunt for PHP processes spawning shell utilities such as sh, bash, or wget from the web server user context

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable PHP error logging and forward include/require failures to a centralized log platform
• Monitor file integrity for the WordPress installation, with priority on wp-content/plugins/ova-brw/ and wp-config.php
• Alert on outbound network connections initiated by the PHP-FPM or web server process to unfamiliar destinations
• Track WordPress audit logs for low-privilege accounts performing actions outside their normal scope

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49313

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all WordPress installations running the BRW (ova-brw) plugin and inventory their versions
• Disable or remove the BRW plugin on any site running version 1.8.6 or earlier until a fixed release is applied
• Rotate WordPress secrets in wp-config.php, database credentials, and any API keys reachable from the web root if exploitation is suspected
• Audit user accounts and remove unexpected administrator users that may have been created post-exploitation

Patch Information

Review the Patchstack advisory for ova-brw for vendor-supplied patch availability and upgrade guidance. Apply the vendor-released fixed version once published, and verify the plugin version after the upgrade.

Workarounds

• Deactivate the BRW plugin until a patched release is installed
• Deploy a web application firewall rule blocking LFI patterns such as ../, php://, and absolute paths in BRW request parameters
• Restrict PHP open_basedir to the WordPress root to limit which files the include statement can reach
• Set allow_url_include = Off and allow_url_fopen = Off in php.ini to prevent remote inclusion variants

# Example php.ini hardening to limit LFI impact
allow_url_include = Off
allow_url_fopen = Off
open_basedir = "/var/www/html:/tmp"
disable_functions = "exec,passthru,shell_exec,system,proc_open,popen"