CVE-2025-2636: Critical Local File Inclusion Vulnerability in InstaWP Connect Plugin for WordPress

Overview

In the realm of website security, the importance of ensuring the integrity of WordPress plugins cannot be overstated. This blog post explores CVE-2025-2636, a critical vulnerability found in the InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress. The vulnerability affects all versions up to, and including, 0.1.0.85. This issue is significant because it allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary files on the server, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-2636
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.8)
Attack Vector: Local/Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise, data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration plugin for WordPress | All versions up to, and including, 0.1.0.85

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability lies in the ‘instawp-database-manager’ parameter of the InstaWP Connect plugin. The parameter is vulnerable to a Local File Inclusion (LFI) attack, which allows an attacker to include and execute arbitrary files on the server. This can include any PHP code in those files, even if they are images or other “safe” file types. The attacker can use this vulnerability to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or execute malicious code.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited using a HTTP request:

GET /wp-content/plugins/instawp-connect/load.php?instawp-database-manager=../../../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com

In this example, the attacker tries to read the ‘/etc/passwd’ file of the target server by using directory traversal characters (‘../../’) in the ‘instawp-database-manager’ parameter.
Please note that this is a conceptual example and does not represent an actual attack. It is provided for educational purposes only.

Mitigation and Prevention

Given the severity of this vulnerability, users are strongly advised to immediately update the InstaWP Connect plugin to the latest version, which includes a patch for this vulnerability. If patching is not immediately possible, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can offer temporary mitigation. However, these measures should not replace patching, as they may not completely protect against all possible exploitation methods.