Summary: A high‑severity Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability affecting the Diza WordPress theme (versions ≤ 1.3.15) has been assigned CVE‑2025‑68543 (CVSS 8.1). The flaw is exploitable without authentication and can disclose local files on the server. In many WordPress configurations that disclosure alone is sufficient to escalate to full site compromise. This advisory explains the risk, detection steps, immediate mitigations, and post‑incident actions in clear, practical terms.

Quick summary (priority actions)

1. Check your Diza theme version. If running ≤ 1.3.15, update to 1.3.16 or later immediately.
2. If you cannot update right away, apply short‑term mitigations (block suspicious inputs, restrict access to theme PHP files, virtual patching via a WAF if available).
3. Scan logs and files for indicators of compromise (IoCs) and search for anomalous requests.
4. If compromise is suspected, isolate the site, preserve logs, rotate credentials, and follow an incident response process.
5. Establish continuous protections: monitoring, file integrity checks, prompt patching and backups.

What is a Local File Inclusion (LFI)?

LFI is a vulnerability class where attacker‑controlled input is used to include or read files on the local filesystem. If a theme or plugin concatenates user input into an include/require or file read call without validation, an attacker can often read arbitrary files such as:

• wp-config.php (informations d'identification de base de données et sels)
• .env and other environment files
• server files like /etc/passwd
• application logs, cached templates or debug dumps

In WordPress contexts, disclosure of wp‑config.php frequently enables database access, creation of admin users, web shell installation and persistent control over the site.

Technical summary of the Diza theme LFI (high level)

• Affected software: Diza WordPress theme (≤ 1.3.15)
• Type de vulnérabilité : Inclusion de Fichiers Locaux (LFI)
• Authentication: None — unauthenticated access possible
• CVE: CVE‑2025‑68543
• Severity: High (CVSS 8.1)
• Fixed in: Diza 1.3.16

Why dangerous: the flaw allows an attacker to request local files and receive their contents in HTTP responses. Exposed configuration or credential files can lead to database compromise, backdoors and lateral movement.

Comment vérifier si votre site est affecté

Step 1 — Confirm theme version

• In WordPress admin: Appearance → Themes → Diza — check the version.
• En utilisant WP‑CLI :

  wp theme list --status=active --fields=name,version
  # or
  wp theme get diza --field=version

• On the server: open wp-content/themes/diza/style.css and inspect the Version: header near the top.

If version ≥ 1.3.16 you have the fix; if ≤ 1.3.15 you are vulnerable until you update.

Step 2 — Search the theme for unsafe file operations

On a development copy or isolated staging server, scan the theme for patterns that may include user input into file operations:

grep -R --line-number -E "(include|require|file_get_contents|readfile)\s*\(" wp-content/themes/diza | sed -n '1,200p'

Look specifically for constructs where $_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST or other untrusted variables are used to build file paths.

Step 3 — Inspect server logs for suspicious requests

Search access logs for directory traversal indicators and references to sensitive filenames:

grep -E "\.\./|\%2e\%2e|wp-config.php|etc/passwd" /var/log/apache2/access.log* /var/log/nginx/access.log*

Focus on requests containing encoded traversal sequences (%2e%2e, %2f), attempts to fetch wp-config.php, or repeated hits to theme file paths.

Step 4 — Rapid scan for tampering

• Compare site files to a clean baseline or the vendor theme package.
• Use checksums (md5/sha256) to detect modified files.
• Search uploads, theme and cache directories for shells or unexpected PHP files.

Immediate remediation (if vulnerable)

1. Upgrade the Diza theme to 1.3.16 or later immediately. If you use a child theme, confirm compatibility after updating.
2. Si vous ne pouvez pas mettre à jour immédiatement, appliquez des atténuations temporaires :
   • Deploy WAF rules or server rules that block directory traversal and LFI patterns.
   • Restrict direct web access to theme PHP files that are not intended as public endpoints.
   • Block requests containing “../” or encoded equivalents.
   • Add short‑term .htaccess or equivalent server rules denying access to sensitive filenames.
3. Harden PHP configuration where possible:
   • allow_url_include = Désactivé
   • consider allow_url_fopen = Off where feasible
   • disable_functions for unnecessary risky functions (evaluate with caution)
4. Lock down file permissions and ownership:
   • Files: 644; Directories: 755
   • wp-config.php: 600 or 640 depending on server user/group

Server rule examples (conceptual)

Example .htaccess snippets to deny access to common sensitive files (test carefully):

<FilesMatch "^(wp-config.php|readme\.html|\.env)$">
  Require all denied
</FilesMatch>

# Deny execution of PHP in uploads (adjust path)
<Directory "/full/path/to/wp-content/uploads">
  <FilesMatch "\.php$">
    Require all denied
  </FilesMatch>
</Directory>

For nginx, apply equivalent location and deny rules. Always test in a controlled environment before deploying to production.

How virtual patching and WAF controls help (neutral guidance)

When public disclosure prevents immediate patching, virtual patching via a Web Application Firewall (WAF) can reduce exposure by blocking exploit patterns at the HTTP layer. Effective rules focus on:

• Directory traversal: block ../ and encoded variants.
• Requests referencing sensitive filenames: wp-config.php, /etc/passwd, .env, etc.
• Remote file inclusion patterns: parameter values beginning with http:// or https:// when used in include contexts.
• High‑frequency scanning behaviour and abnormal request sequences targeting theme paths.

Deploy rules in monitor mode first to minimise false positives, then enforce once tuned.

Suggested conceptual WAF rules

• Block any request URI or parameter containing `../` or `%2e%2e` (case‑insensitive).
• Block requests containing `wp-config.php`, `/etc/passwd`, `.env`, `shadow` or similar filenames.
• Block attempts to pass URLs (http(s)://) into parameters expected to be filenames.
• Restrict direct access to internal theme PHP files (deny unless explicitly required).

Indicateurs de compromission (IoCs)

If exploitation occurred, investigate the following:

• Access logs showing directory traversal or direct requests for wp-config.php and other system files.
• Unexpected content displayed on pages (parts of server files).
• New or modified files in wp-content (web shells in uploads, theme or cache dirs).
• New admin users, role changes or suspicious scheduled tasks (cron/action_scheduler entries).
• Outbound connections to unknown hosts from the server.
• Anomalous CPU/memory usage or database activity.

If you confirm compromise:

1. Isolate the site (take offline or block public access).
2. Preserve and copy logs and file snapshots for forensic review.
3. Identify scope: which files and database entries were altered.
4. Rotate all credentials (database, admin users, API keys, hosting panel, FTP/SFTP).
5. Restore from a known clean backup where appropriate and harden before re‑enabling public access.

Post‑exploit remediation checklist

1. Preserve evidence (logs, file snapshots).
2. Remove web shells and backdoors (commonly in uploads, theme or cache directories).
3. Restore modified files from clean copies.
4. Rotate secrets: database passwords, WordPress admin passwords, API keys.
5. Reissue WordPress salts and keys in wp-config.php.
6. Update core, all plugins and themes to current versions.
7. Re‑scan files and verify integrity before reopening access.
8. Monitor logs closely for recurrence for several weeks.

Longer‑term hardening to reduce LFI risk

• Keep themes, plugins and WordPress core patched on a regular cadence.
• Enforce least privilege for database users (avoid excessive privileges).
• Prevent execution of PHP from uploads/media directories.
• Disable dangerous PHP settings where possible (allow_url_include, allow_url_fopen).
• Use file integrity monitoring and alerting for unauthorized changes.
• Maintain regular, tested backups stored offsite and retain multiple generations.
• Limit API/REST access and protect endpoints with authentication and ACLs.
• Document and rehearse an incident response plan.

Developer guidance — inspect theme code safely

Always operate on a copy in an isolated staging environment. Search for include/read patterns and validate sources:

grep -R --line-number -E "include(_once)?|require(_once)?|file_get_contents|readfile|fopen" wp-content/themes/diza | sed -n '1,200p'

If user input flows into file paths, replace with a whitelist mapping or safe selection approach.

Example of safer inclusion logic

Do not include raw user input. Use a whitelist mapping instead:

// Unsafe: include($_GET['page']);
$allowed = [
  'home' => 'templates/home.php',
  'products' => 'templates/products.php',
  'contact' => 'templates/contact.php',
];

$requested = isset($_GET['page']) ? $_GET['page'] : 'home';
if (array_key_exists($requested, $allowed)) {
  include get_template_directory() . '/' . $allowed[$requested];
} else {
  include get_template_directory() . '/templates/404.php';
}

If you are not the theme maintainer, avoid editing third‑party code on live sites unless you manage updates via a child theme and can preserve future vendor patches.

Si vous trouvez des preuves d'exploitation

1. Take the affected site offline or restrict access immediately.
2. Preserve logs and file snapshots for analysis.
3. Coordinate with your hosting provider or an experienced incident responder.
4. Rotate all credentials and reissue salts/keys.
5. Replace compromised files from clean backups or vendor sources and immediately apply the vendor patch (Diza 1.3.16+).
6. Verify cleanup before restoring public access and maintain heightened monitoring.

Why you should act fast

LFI vulnerabilities are attractive to attackers because they can quickly reveal sensitive configuration files. This specific issue is unauthenticated, meaning automated scanners and botnets will probe broadly and aggressively after disclosure. Rapid patching or at least virtual patching and monitoring significantly reduce the window of exposure.

Practical checklist — steps to do right now

• Verify Diza theme version. If ≤ 1.3.15, update to 1.3.16 immediately.
• Put temporary controls in place while patching (block traversal patterns, restrict access to theme PHP files).
• Scan access logs for LFI patterns and anomalous requests.
• Run a file integrity check and malware scan; review recent file changes.
• Check for unexpected admin users, content, or scheduled tasks.
• Rotate critical credentials if exposure is suspected (database, admin, API keys).
• Backup the site and verify restore procedures.
• Harden PHP and file permissions as described above.

Appendix — useful commands & snippets

Check active theme version:

wp theme get diza --field=version

Find suspicious include patterns:

grep -R --line-number -E "(include|require|file_get_contents|readfile|fopen)\s*\(" wp-content/themes/diza | sed -n '1,200p'

Search access logs for traversal attempts:

grep -E "\.\./|\%2e\%2e|wp-config.php|etc/passwd" /var/log/nginx/access.log* /var/log/apache2/access.log*

Block direct access to wp-config.php (apache example):

<files wp-config.php>
  order allow,deny
  deny from all
</files>

Final note: This vulnerability is serious because it requires no authentication and targets assets that often contain secrets. The most reliable remedy is to apply the vendor patch (Diza 1.3.16+) immediately. If you lack internal capability for containment and recovery, engage an experienced incident response team. In Hong Kong or the broader APAC region, act promptly — the window for automated exploitation after disclosure is short.