CVE-2025-7641
📋 TL;DR
The Assistant for NextGEN Gallery WordPress plugin has an unauthenticated directory deletion vulnerability in its REST API endpoint. Attackers can delete arbitrary directories on the server, potentially causing complete website unavailability. All WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 1.0.9 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Assistant for NextGEN Gallery 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 website destruction through deletion of WordPress core directories, leading to permanent data loss and extended downtime.
Likely Case
Partial website disruption through deletion of plugin directories, causing functionality loss and requiring restoration from backups.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper file permissions and web application firewalls block unauthorized REST API access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP POST request to vulnerable endpoint with directory path parameter. No authentication required.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.1.0 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/assistant-for-nextgen-gallery/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Assistant for NextGEN Gallery'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 1.1.0+ from WordPress.org and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate assistant-for-nextgen-gallery
Block REST Endpoint
linuxUse web application firewall or .htaccess to block access to vulnerable endpoint.
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^wp-json/nextgenassistant/v1.0.0/control - [F,L]
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file permissions (755 for directories, 644 for files) to limit deletion capabilities.
- Deploy web application firewall with rules blocking suspicious directory deletion attempts via REST API.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'Assistant for NextGEN Gallery' version 1.0.9 or lower.Check Version:
wp plugin get assistant-for-nextgen-gallery --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.1.0 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /wp-json/nextgenassistant/v1.0.0/control with directory paths
- File deletion errors in web server logs
- Plugin activation/deactivation events
Network Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress REST API endpoints from unauthenticated sources
- HTTP 403/404 errors following directory deletion attempts
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND (uri_path="/wp-json/nextgenassistant/v1.0.0/control" OR message="*directory*delete*")