CVE-2025-26909
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to include arbitrary local files through PHP's include/require statements in the Hide My WP Ghost WordPress plugin. Attackers can potentially execute malicious code on affected WordPress sites. All WordPress installations using Hide My WP Ghost versions up to 5.4.01 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Hide My WP Ghost WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete server compromise, data theft, and website defacement.
Likely Case
Local file inclusion allowing attackers to read sensitive files like wp-config.php, potentially leading to database access and privilege escalation.
If Mitigated
Limited information disclosure if file inclusion is restricted to non-sensitive directories.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is straightforward as this is a classic file inclusion vulnerability with public proof-of-concept available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.4.02 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins. 3. Find Hide My WP Ghost. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 5.4.02+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate hide-my-wp-ghost
Restrict PHP File Operations
linuxAdd .htaccess rules to restrict file inclusion in plugin directory
<FilesMatch "\.(php|php3|php4|php5|phtml|inc)$">
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the Hide My WP Ghost plugin completely from the WordPress installation
- Implement web application firewall rules to block requests containing file inclusion patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Hide My WP Ghost version. If version is 5.4.01 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get hide-my-wp-ghost --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 5.4.02 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file include requests in PHP error logs
- Requests to plugin files with file path parameters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing file path traversal patterns to plugin endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="*access.log*" AND ("hide-my-wp" OR "hidemywp") AND (".." OR "include" OR "require" OR "php://")