CVE-2025-53576: Ovatheme Events File Inclusion Vulnerability

CVE-2025-53576 Overview

CVE-2025-53576 is a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the Ovatheme Events WordPress plugin (ova-events). The vulnerability stems from improper control of filename parameters used in PHP include/require statements, allowing attackers to include arbitrary local files from the server filesystem. This can lead to sensitive information disclosure, configuration file exposure, and potentially remote code execution when combined with other attack techniques.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this LFI vulnerability to read sensitive server files, potentially exposing database credentials, WordPress configuration, and other critical system information. Combined with log poisoning or uploaded files, this could escalate to full remote code execution.

Affected Products

• Ovatheme Events WordPress Plugin versions through 1.2.8

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-08-28 - CVE-2025-53576 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-53576

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-98 (Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program). The Ovatheme Events plugin fails to properly sanitize user-controlled input before using it in PHP include() or require() statements. This allows an attacker to manipulate the file path parameter to traverse directories and include arbitrary local files on the web server.

The attack can be performed over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction, though exploitation requires specific conditions to be met, resulting in high attack complexity. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied data that is subsequently used to construct file paths for PHP include operations. The plugin likely accepts a template name, view name, or similar parameter that is concatenated into a file path without proper validation to prevent directory traversal sequences (such as ../) or restriction to an allowed list of files.

WordPress plugins that dynamically load template files or partials are particularly susceptible to this class of vulnerability when they trust user input for determining which files to include.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted remotely over the network. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing directory traversal sequences to escape the intended directory and include sensitive files from elsewhere on the server filesystem. Common targets include:

• WordPress configuration file (wp-config.php) containing database credentials
• Server configuration files (/etc/passwd, .htaccess)
• Log files for potential log poisoning attacks
• Other PHP files that may contain hardcoded secrets

The vulnerability description indicates this allows PHP Local File Inclusion, meaning attackers can include files that already exist on the target server. For detailed technical information, refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-53576

Indicators of Compromise

• Web server access logs containing directory traversal sequences (../, ..%2f, %2e%2e/) in requests to Ovatheme Events plugin endpoints
• Unusual file access patterns in PHP error logs indicating attempts to include files outside the plugin directory
• Requests containing common LFI payloads targeting sensitive files like wp-config.php or /etc/passwd
• Unexpected outbound connections following file inclusion attempts (indicative of successful exploitation leading to RCE)

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block directory traversal patterns in request parameters
• Monitor web server logs for requests containing encoded traversal sequences targeting the ova-events plugin
• Deploy file integrity monitoring on sensitive configuration files to detect unauthorized access
• Use SIEM correlation rules to identify multiple LFI attempts from the same source IP

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for the WordPress installation and monitor for PHP errors related to file inclusion
• Configure alerts for any access attempts to wp-config.php or system files through web requests
• Monitor for unusual process spawning from the web server user account
• Track WordPress plugin activity logs for anomalous behavior from the Ovatheme Events plugin

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-53576

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Ovatheme Events plugin to a patched version when available from the vendor
• If no patch is available, consider temporarily deactivating the ova-events plugin until a fix is released
• Implement WAF rules to block directory traversal attempts targeting the plugin
• Review server logs for evidence of exploitation attempts

Patch Information

At the time of publication, this vulnerability affects Ovatheme Events versions through 1.2.8. Website administrators should monitor the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory for updates on patched versions and apply updates as soon as they become available.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with rules to block LFI/directory traversal patterns in requests to the ova-events plugin
• Restrict access to the WordPress admin and plugin endpoints using IP allowlisting where possible
• Ensure proper file permissions are set so the web server user cannot read sensitive system files
• Consider using PHP open_basedir restrictions to limit which directories PHP can access

# Example .htaccess rules to block common LFI patterns
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\./|\.\.) [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\.%2f|%2e%2e) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>

# PHP open_basedir restriction in php.ini or .user.ini
# open_basedir = /var/www/html/:/tmp/