CVE-2025-32461: Critical Vulnerability in Tiki’s wikiplugin_includetpl

Overview

CVE-2025-32461 is a critical vulnerability found in Tiki’s wikiplugin_includetpl, a component of the popular Tiki software. Tiki is widely used for creating and managing online content; therefore, this vulnerability has the potential to affect a large number of users. It is particularly significant due to the high severity score given, which reflects the potential for system compromise or data leakage, leading to serious consequences for affected parties.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-32461
Severity: Critical (9.9 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Tiki | Before 28.3

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability lies in the mishandling of input to an eval function in the wikiplugin_includetpl in lib/wiki-plugins/wikiplugin_includetpl.php. This improper input handling enables attackers to inject malicious code into the software, leading to unauthorized access or control of the system. This can result in either system compromise or data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. In this case, a malicious HTTP request is sent to the server running the vulnerable Tiki software.

POST /vulnerable/wikiplugin_includetpl.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
eval_code={ "malicious_payload": "..." }

In this request, the “malicious_payload” is the attacker’s code that would be executed on the server due to the vulnerability.

Mitigation Guidance

The best way to protect your system from this vulnerability is to apply the patch provided by the vendor. The fixed versions are 21.12, 24.8, 27.2, and 28.3. If you are unable to apply the patch immediately, you can use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. However, these are only temporary solutions and will not provide complete protection against the vulnerability. Therefore, it is highly recommended to apply the patch as soon as possible.