CVE-2025-67515: Qodeinteractive Wilmer LFI Vulnerability

CVE-2025-67515 Overview

CVE-2025-67515 is a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the Wilmër WordPress theme developed by Qodeinteractive (Mikado-Themes). This vulnerability stems from improper control of filename for include/require statements in PHP, allowing attackers to include arbitrary local files on the server. Due to the network-accessible nature of WordPress themes and the lack of authentication requirements, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to affected websites.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this LFI vulnerability to read sensitive files, potentially including configuration files containing database credentials, and may escalate to remote code execution through log poisoning or other techniques.

Affected Products

• Qodeinteractive Wilmër WordPress Theme versions prior to 3.5
• WordPress installations running vulnerable Wilmër theme versions
• Websites using Mikado-Themes Wilmër theme package

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-12-09 - CVE-2025-67515 published to NVD
• 2026-01-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-67515

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-98 (Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program). The Wilmër theme fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to PHP include or require functions. This allows an attacker to manipulate file paths and include arbitrary local files from the server's filesystem.

The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without requiring any user interaction or authentication. Successful exploitation can result in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress installation.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-controlled parameters that are subsequently used in PHP file inclusion operations. The theme does not properly restrict or validate the filenames passed to include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() functions, allowing directory traversal sequences to access files outside the intended directory scope.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing path traversal sequences (such as ../) to include sensitive local files. Common targets include:

• /etc/passwd - System user information
• wp-config.php - WordPress database credentials
• Server log files - For log poisoning attacks leading to RCE
• .htaccess files - Server configuration details

The vulnerability mechanism involves manipulating include parameters in theme functionality. When user-controlled input reaches PHP include functions without proper sanitization, attackers can traverse directory structures to access sensitive files. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-67515

Indicators of Compromise

• Suspicious HTTP requests containing path traversal sequences (../, ..%2f, %2e%2e/) targeting the Wilmër theme
• Unusual access patterns to theme files with encoded path characters
• Web server logs showing attempts to access sensitive system files through WordPress theme endpoints
• Unexpected file read operations originating from the web server process

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal patterns in HTTP requests
• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing directory traversal sequences targeting /wp-content/themes/wilmer/
• Deploy file integrity monitoring on critical configuration files to detect unauthorized access attempts
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on LFI attack signatures

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for WordPress and the web server to capture detailed request parameters
• Set up real-time alerting for requests matching LFI attack patterns
• Monitor PHP error logs for failed file inclusion attempts indicating exploitation activity
• Implement anomaly detection for unusual file access patterns from the web server process

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-67515

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Wilmër theme to version 3.5 or later immediately
• If immediate update is not possible, temporarily disable or remove the Wilmër theme
• Implement WAF rules to block path traversal attempts as an interim measure
• Review server access logs for signs of previous exploitation attempts

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been addressed in Wilmër theme version 3.5. Website administrators should update to this version or later through the WordPress theme update mechanism or by downloading the latest version from the theme vendor. For additional details, consult the Patchstack vulnerability database entry.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with LFI protection rules enabled
• Restrict PHP open_basedir to limit file inclusion to the WordPress directory
• Disable unnecessary theme functionality that may expose the vulnerable code path
• Implement server-level restrictions to prevent access to sensitive system files

# PHP configuration hardening example
# Add to php.ini or .htaccess to restrict file access scope
php_value open_basedir "/var/www/html/wordpress:/tmp"

# Apache mod_security rule to block path traversal
SecRule REQUEST_URI|ARGS|ARGS_NAMES "@rx \.\./" "id:1001,deny,status:403,msg:'Path Traversal Attempt'"