CVE-2025-69396: Splendour Theme Path Traversal Flaw

CVE-2025-69396 Overview

CVE-2025-69396 is a PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability affecting the ThemeREX Splendour WordPress theme. The vulnerability stems from improper control of filename parameters in PHP include/require statements, allowing attackers to include arbitrary local files on the server. This can lead to sensitive information disclosure, configuration file exposure, and potentially remote code execution if combined with other attack techniques.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely to read sensitive files from the WordPress server, potentially exposing database credentials, configuration files, and other critical system information.

Affected Products

• ThemeREX Splendour WordPress Theme version 1.23 and earlier
• WordPress installations using the Splendour theme
• All configurations of Splendour theme without security patches

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE CVE-2025-69396 published to NVD
• 2026-02-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-69396

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-98 (Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program). The Splendour WordPress theme fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before passing it to PHP's include or require functions. This allows attackers to manipulate file path parameters to include arbitrary files from the local filesystem.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without authentication. While the attack complexity is considered high due to specific conditions that must be met for successful exploitation, a successful attack can result in complete compromise of 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-controlled parameters that influence file inclusion operations. The theme code accepts user input that directly or indirectly controls which files are included via PHP's include(), require(), include_once(), or require_once() functions without adequate path validation or whitelisting.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network, allowing remote attackers to craft malicious requests containing directory traversal sequences (such as ../) or absolute paths to include sensitive files from the server's filesystem. Common targets include:

• WordPress configuration files containing database credentials (wp-config.php)
• System files like /etc/passwd on Linux systems
• PHP session files that could enable session hijacking
• Log files that might contain sensitive information or be leveraged for log poisoning attacks

The vulnerability can be exploited to read sensitive configuration files, potentially leading to further compromise. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Patchstack vulnerability database entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-69396

Indicators of Compromise

• Web server access logs containing directory traversal patterns (../, ..%2f, %2e%2e/) targeting the Splendour theme
• HTTP requests with unusual file path parameters pointing to system files or WordPress configuration files
• Error logs showing failed file inclusion attempts or PHP warnings related to file access
• Unexpected file access patterns on sensitive configuration files

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block directory traversal sequences in requests
• Monitor web server logs for requests containing path traversal patterns targeting /wp-content/themes/splendour/
• Configure file integrity monitoring on critical WordPress files including wp-config.php
• Deploy intrusion detection systems with signatures for PHP LFI attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the WordPress installation and monitor for anomalous file access patterns
• Set up alerts for HTTP requests containing encoded traversal sequences (%2e, %2f, %00)
• Monitor PHP error logs for include/require failures that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Implement real-time log analysis to detect rapid sequential requests probing for file inclusion vulnerabilities

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-69396

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the ThemeREX Splendour theme to the latest patched version immediately
• If no patch is available, consider temporarily disabling or replacing the Splendour theme
• Implement WAF rules to block directory traversal and LFI attack patterns
• Review web server logs for evidence of exploitation attempts
• Audit file permissions to ensure sensitive files are not readable by the web server user

Patch Information

Check the Patchstack vulnerability database for the latest patch information from ThemeREX. Users should update to a version newer than 1.23 when available. Contact ThemeREX support for official patch availability and update instructions.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with rules blocking LFI patterns including ../, ..%2f, and null byte sequences
• Implement PHP's open_basedir directive to restrict file access to the WordPress directory
• Use WordPress security plugins that provide virtual patching capabilities for known vulnerabilities
• Temporarily switch to an alternative WordPress theme until an official patch is released

# Apache .htaccess configuration to block common LFI patterns
# Add to WordPress root .htaccess file

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
# Block directory traversal attempts
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\.\./|\.\.%2f|%2e%2e/) [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (\.\./|\.\.%2f|%2e%2e/) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>

# PHP open_basedir restriction (add to php.ini or .user.ini)
# open_basedir = /var/www/html/wordpress/:/tmp/