CVE-2025-63298
📋 TL;DR
An authenticated admin user in SourceCodester Pet Grooming Management System 1.0 can exploit a path traversal vulnerability in admin/manage_website.php to delete arbitrary files on the server. This affects all installations of version 1.0 where admin accounts are compromised or misused. The vulnerability requires administrative privileges but grants significant destructive capability.
💻 Affected Systems
- SourceCodester Pet Grooming Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise through deletion of critical OS files, leading to service disruption, data loss, or system takeover via subsequent exploitation.
Likely Case
Unauthorized deletion of web application files, configuration files, or user data causing service disruption and potential data loss.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper file permissions, admin account security, and input validation are in place, though risk remains from insider threats.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit requires admin credentials; GitHub repository contains proof-of-concept code demonstrating file deletion.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider removing or replacing the vulnerable software.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict admin/manage_website.php access
allBlock or restrict access to the vulnerable PHP file using web server configuration or firewall rules.
# Apache: Add to .htaccess
<Files "manage_website.php">
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
</Files>
# Nginx: Add to server block
location ~ /admin/manage_website\.php$ {
deny all;
}
Implement input validation
allAdd server-side validation to sanitize file path inputs before processing.
# Example PHP validation
$file = $_POST['file'];
if (strpos($file, '..') !== false || strpos($file, '/') === 0) {
die('Invalid file path');
}
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and monitoring for admin accounts
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) with path traversal rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if admin/manage_website.php exists and accepts file parameters without proper path validation. Test with controlled file deletion attempts.Check Version:
Check application version in source code or documentation; look for version 1.0 indicators.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that path traversal attempts are blocked and file deletion is restricted to intended directories only.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- POST requests to /admin/manage_website.php with suspicious file paths containing '..' or absolute paths
- File deletion events in system logs from web server process
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to vulnerable endpoint with path traversal patterns
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND uri="/admin/manage_website.php" AND (request_body CONTAINS ".." OR request_body CONTAINS "/etc/")