CVE-2025-1681

Vulnerability

Overview

The Cardealer WordPress theme, versions up to and including 1.6.4, contains a missing capability check and insufficient filename sanitization in its demo theme scheme AJAX functions. This flaw enables authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access or higher to perform unauthorized modifications or deletions of arbitrary CSS and JavaScript files on the server. The vulnerability stems from the AJAX handlers not verifying user permissions or properly sanitizing file path inputs before processing file operations.

Exploitation

Conditions

An attacker must have a valid WordPress account with at least subscriber privileges. No additional authentication is required beyond the standard session. The attack is carried out by sending crafted AJAX requests to the vulnerable endpoints, specifying target file paths. Because the theme fails to validate the user's capabilities or sanitize the filename, the attacker can specify paths to any CSS or JS file within the WordPress installation, including those outside the theme's intended scope.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to alter or delete critical CSS and JavaScript files, potentially defacing the site, breaking functionality, or introducing malicious code. Deleting essential files could lead to partial or complete site unavailability. The CVSS v3 base score of 5.4 (Medium) reflects the need for authentication but the potential for significant impact on integrity and availability.

Mitigation

The vendor has addressed this vulnerability in version 1.6.5 of the Cardealer theme, as indicated in the changelog [1]. Users are strongly advised to update to the latest version immediately. No workarounds are documented; updating the theme is the recommended remediation.