CVE-2025-57055 Overview
CVE-2025-57055 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in WonderCMS 3.5.0. The flaw exists in the custom module installation functionality. An authenticated administrator can supply a malicious URL through the pluginThemeUrl POST parameter. The server retrieves the URL using curl_exec() without sufficient validation. Attackers can force the server to issue arbitrary internal or external HTTP requests. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-918] and requires administrator-level authentication to exploit.
Critical Impact
Authenticated administrators can coerce the WonderCMS server into issuing arbitrary HTTP requests, exposing internal services, metadata endpoints, and non-public network resources.
Affected Products
- WonderCMS 3.5.0
- Deployments exposing the custom module installation feature
- Instances where administrator accounts are shared or reachable from untrusted networks
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-09-17 - CVE-2025-57055 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-57055
Vulnerability Analysis
WonderCMS exposes a custom module installation feature that accepts a URL through the pluginThemeUrl POST parameter. The application passes this attacker-controlled value directly to PHP's curl_exec() function. The code does not restrict the destination scheme, host, or IP range before making the request.
An authenticated administrator can point the parameter at internal endpoints such as http://127.0.0.1, private RFC1918 ranges, or cloud metadata services like http://169.254.169.254. The server returns the fetched content or triggers side effects on internal services. This behavior turns the CMS into a proxy for network reconnaissance and interaction with services otherwise blocked by perimeter controls.
The vulnerability requires high-privilege access, which limits blind external exploitation. However, chained attacks that first compromise administrator credentials, such as phishing or credential stuffing, can escalate impact significantly.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing URL validation before invoking curl_exec(). The application trusts the pluginThemeUrl value supplied by an authenticated user. It does not enforce an allowlist of hosts, block private IP ranges, or restrict URL schemes to HTTPS against verified plugin repositories.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires an authenticated administrator session against the WonderCMS admin interface. The attacker submits a POST request to the custom module installation endpoint with pluginThemeUrl set to an internal or attacker-controlled URL. The WonderCMS server performs the outbound request and processes the response, enabling reconnaissance of internal services and interaction with unauthenticated internal APIs.
The vulnerability mechanism is documented in the public GitHub PoC Repository. No verified exploit code is reproduced here.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57055
Indicators of Compromise
- Outbound HTTP requests originating from the WonderCMS PHP process to internal IP ranges or cloud metadata addresses such as 169.254.169.254
- Web server access logs showing POST requests to the module installation endpoint containing a pluginThemeUrl parameter with non-standard hosts
- Unexpected curl user-agent traffic leaving the CMS host toward RFC1918 destinations
Detection Strategies
- Inspect PHP-FPM or Apache access logs for POST bodies containing pluginThemeUrl values referencing loopback, link-local, or private addresses
- Correlate administrator login events with subsequent outbound HTTP connections from the web server process
- Deploy egress network monitoring to alert on connections from web application hosts to metadata or internal management endpoints
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable full request body logging on the WonderCMS admin path to preserve pluginThemeUrl values for forensic review
- Baseline normal outbound destinations for the CMS host and alert on deviations
- Monitor administrator account activity for session anomalies that may precede SSRF exploitation attempts
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57055
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict access to the WonderCMS administrator interface using IP allowlisting or VPN-only access
- Rotate administrator credentials and enforce strong, unique passwords with multi-factor authentication where supported
- Apply egress filtering on the WonderCMS host to block outbound traffic to internal networks and cloud metadata endpoints
- Review web server logs for prior use of the pluginThemeUrl parameter with suspicious URLs
Patch Information
No official vendor patch is referenced in the NVD entry at the time of writing. Monitor the WonderCMS project and the GitHub PoC Repository for updates. Upgrade to any release later than 3.5.0 that addresses the SSRF once available.
Workarounds
- Disable or remove the custom module installation feature if it is not required for operations
- Deploy a reverse proxy or web application firewall rule that blocks requests to the module installation endpoint containing private or loopback URLs in pluginThemeUrl
- Configure the host firewall to prevent the PHP process from initiating connections to RFC1918 ranges and link-local addresses such as 169.254.169.254
# Example iptables rules to block SSRF egress from the WonderCMS host
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 127.0.0.0/8 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 10.0.0.0/8 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 172.16.0.0/12 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 192.168.0.0/16 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 169.254.0.0/16 -j REJECT
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
