CVE-2025-26779 - Improper Limitation of Pathname to a Restricted Directory in Fahad Mahmood Keep Backup Daily Paves Way for Path Traversal Attack

CVE-2025-26779 has recently been discovered, and it involves an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Fahad Mahmood's Keep Backup Daily WordPress plugin. The affected versions of the plugin range from n/a through 2.1.. This article aims to provide a simplified explanation of the vulnerability along with available public exploits, and solutions to help developers and website administrators understand and mitigate the potential risks of this issue.

To better understand CVE-2025-26779, let's first decipher what "Path Traversal" implies and entails. In simple terms, "Path Traversal" is a security vulnerability that allows an attacker to access restricted directories and perform unauthorized actions or read potentially sensitive files, which should not be accessible due to restrictions put in place.

In the context of CVE-2025-26779 and Fahad Mahmood's Keep Backup Daily plugin, the Path Traversal vulnerability occurs due to the plugin improperly restricting access to certain directories. This opens up the possibility of an attacker gaining unauthorized access to files and directories they ordinarily should not have access to.

The following code snippet showcases the vulnerable point in Keep Backup Daily's implementation

// Simplified example of the vulnerability
if (isset($_GET['file'])) {
  $file = $_GET['file'];
  readfile($file);
}

In the above example, the code reads a 'file' parameter from the GET request and then attempts to read the file without validating the input for any potential Path Traversal attempts. This means that an attacker could exploit this vulnerability by providing a malicious input for the 'file' parameter, potentially accessing restricted files or directories.

Access sensitive files that contain crucial information, such as configuration files or user data.

2. Perform unauthorized actions on the target system, such as gaining control over website functionality, in the case of WordPress sites.

Original References

1. The CVE identifier: CVE-2025-26779
2. Fahad Mahmood's Keep Backup Daily plugin's official website: Keep Backup Daily Official Site

Mitigation Steps

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2025-26779 and protect the integrity of your WordPress installation, follow the steps below:

1. Update the Keep Backup Daily plugin to its latest version (if available) or at least version 2.1.1, which should include patches to address this vulnerability. The plugin can be updated from the WordPress plugin directory or directly from its official website.
2. Review your website and system logs for any signs of unauthorized access or exploitation attempts related to CVE-2025-26779.
3. Ensure that other WordPress plugins and themes are up to date, as they can also pose a risk if they are not patched and protected against recently discovered vulnerabilities.

Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter and block potentially malicious requests.

In conclusion, while CVE-2025-26779 undoubtedly presents a serious risk to website administrators and developers, it can be effectively mitigated by promptly applying available patches and adopting security best practices. Staying up to date with recent security news and vulnerabilities is essential for ensuring that your website and users remain protected from potential threats.

Timeline

Published on: 02/16/2025 23:15:11 UTC