CVE-2025-14829
📋 TL;DR
The E-xact Hosted Payment WordPress plugin through version 2.0 contains an arbitrary file deletion vulnerability due to insufficient file path validation. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this to delete any files on the server where WordPress is installed. This affects all WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this payment plugin.
💻 Affected Systems
- E-xact Hosted Payment WordPress plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete server compromise through deletion of critical system files, WordPress core files, or configuration files leading to site destruction, data loss, and potential privilege escalation.
Likely Case
Website defacement or disruption by deleting WordPress core files, plugin files, or theme files, potentially causing financial loss for e-commerce sites.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if file permissions are properly configured and critical files are protected, though some disruption is still possible.
🎯 Exploit Status
WPScan has published technical details; exploitation requires minimal technical skill due to unauthenticated access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: Unknown
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Immediately disable and remove the E-xact Hosted Payment plugin. 2. Monitor WordPress plugin repository for security updates. 3. Consider alternative payment processing plugins.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allImmediately deactivate and delete the vulnerable plugin from WordPress admin panel
wp plugin deactivate exact-hosted-payment
wp plugin delete exact-hosted-payment
Restrict file deletion permissions
linuxSet strict file permissions on critical directories to prevent deletion
chmod 755 /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/
chmod 644 /var/www/html/wp-config.php
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block file deletion requests
- Enable file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized file changes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins for 'E-xact Hosted Payment' plugin version 2.0 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin list --name='exact-hosted-payment' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin is completely removed from wp-content/plugins directory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to plugin endpoints with file deletion parameters
- 404 errors for suddenly missing files
- WordPress debug logs showing file operations
Network Indicators:
- Unusual HTTP requests to /wp-content/plugins/exact-hosted-payment/ endpoints
- Multiple DELETE or file manipulation requests from single IP
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND (uri_path="/wp-content/plugins/exact-hosted-payment/" AND method="POST")