LatePoint < 5.1.94 — Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion (CVE-2025-6715): Risk, Detection, and Mitigation

Author: Hong Kong security practitioner

Summary: A high-severity unauthenticated Local File Inclusion (LFI) in LatePoint prior to 5.1.94 (CVE-2025-6715) can expose local files and secrets. This post explains the technical risk, detection indicators, immediate mitigations, and practical remediation steps with a pragmatic Hong Kong security expert tone.

TL;DR

LatePoint versions earlier than 5.1.94 include an unauthenticated LFI (CVSS 8.1). An attacker can read files from the webserver (eg. wp-config.php, .env), exposing credentials and enabling further compromise. The primary fix is to update LatePoint to 5.1.94+. If immediate updating is not possible, apply compensating controls: virtual patching via your WAF or edge protection, restrict access to plugin endpoints, harden file permissions, and follow an incident response workflow including credential rotation and forensic checks.

What happened: vulnerability summary

On 13 August 2025 a high-severity LFI affecting the LatePoint WordPress plugin was published as CVE-2025-6715. The flaw permits unauthenticated attackers to submit crafted input that forces the application to include and return the contents of local files. Typical targets are configuration files and logs, which frequently contain database credentials, API keys, or other sensitive secrets. When exposed, these values enable further actions that can escalate to full site takeover.

• Vulnerability type: Local File Inclusion (LFI)
• Affected versions: LatePoint < 5.1.94
• Fixed version: 5.1.94
• Privilege required: None (Unauthenticated)
• CVSS: 8.1 (High)
• Impact: Disclosure of local files → possible DB takeover, RCE via chained techniques, lateral movement

Why LFI is so dangerous for WordPress sites

From a Hong Kong operations and incident-response perspective: LFI is rarely “just” information disclosure. In WordPress environments it is frequently the first step to a full compromise.

• Sensitive files such as wp-config.php or .env often contain DB credentials and tokens. Reading them gives attackers immediate reuse opportunities.
• LFI can be chained with log poisoning or other flaws to achieve remote code execution (RCE).
• Automated scanners rapidly weaponise public LFI disclosures. Because this is unauthenticated, mass scanning and exploitation are expected.
• Consequences include defacement, spam injection, data theft, cryptomining, and lateral movement to other systems.

Who is at risk?

Any internet-facing WordPress site running LatePoint < 5.1.94. Shared hosting, weak file permissions, or credentials stored in web-accessible locations increase risk. No authentication is required to attempt exploitation, so urgency is high.

Immediate actions (step-by-step)

The following steps are ordered by priority.

1. Confirm plugin version
   • Check Plugins > Installed Plugins in WP admin for LatePoint version.
   • If admin access is unavailable, inspect plugin files via SFTP, or check readme headers for version info.
2. Update (canonical fix)
   • Upgrade LatePoint to 5.1.94 or later immediately where possible. This is the authoritative fix.
   • Verify file change timestamps and vendor release notes after the update.
3. If you cannot update immediately: enable mitigations (virtual patching)
   • Apply WAF or edge rules that specifically target LatePoint endpoints and block traversal patterns and references to sensitive filenames.
   • If you rely on a hosting provider or a third-party WAF, request targeted virtual patching for the LatePoint paths.
4. Temporary removal or access restriction
   • Deactivate the plugin if feasible until patched.
   • Where plugin functionality is required, restrict access to known IPs or authenticated zones if practical.
5. Hardening
   • Ensure wp-config.php and other configs are not web-accessible; apply restrictive permissions (eg. 400/440 or 640 depending on process user).
   • Disable PHP execution in uploads and untrusted directories.
   • Move backups and sensitive files outside the webroot.
6. Incident response (if compromise suspected)
   • Take full backups and server snapshots, preserve logs for forensics, rotate credentials, scan for web shells, and rebuild from clean backups if integrity is uncertain.

Detection: what to look for (indicators & logs)

Because the flaw is unauthenticated, look for requests with traversal sequences or references to sensitive files against LatePoint paths.

Common payload patterns

• Directory traversal: ../../../../etc/passwd, ../../../../wp-config.php
• URL-encoded traversal: ..%2f..%2f..%2fetc%2fpasswd
• Double-encoding evasion: %252e%252e%252f
• Parameters often seen: file=, include=, path=, template=, lp_action=

Sample Apache access log entries (examples for detection)

192.0.2.45 - - [14/Aug/2025:10:12:02 +0000] "GET /wp-content/plugins/latepoint/public.php?file=../../../wp-config.php HTTP/1.1" 200 532 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible)"
203.0.113.58 - - [14/Aug/2025:10:14:10 +0000] "GET /?lp_action=view&path=..%2f..%2f..%2fetc%2fpasswd HTTP/1.1" 200 1245 "-" "curl/7.79.1"

Search your logs for

• Requests to LatePoint plugin paths containing ../ or %2e%2e
• Responses containing strings from config files (DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD)
• Unexpected 200 responses where 403/404 would be expected

File system and DB indicators

• New or unexpected PHP files in uploads, themes, or plugin directories
• Modified timestamps on wp-config.php or core files
• New admin users, altered options, or spam content in posts

WAF rules and virtual patching (practical defensive patterns)

If you cannot apply the vendor patch immediately, a targeted WAF rule is an effective interim control. Scope rules tightly to LatePoint paths to reduce false positives.

High-level logic: Block requests where the request targets /wp-content/plugins/latepoint/ (or LatePoint-specific endpoints) and the query string or body contains directory traversal sequences or references to wp-config.php, .env, /etc/passwd, etc.

Example ModSecurity rule (conceptual)

SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-content/plugins/latepoint/" "phase:1,deny,status:403,id:1001001,rev:1,severity:2,msg:'Block LFI attempts targeting LatePoint plugin',log,chain"
  SecRule ARGS|REQUEST_HEADERS|REQUEST_URI|REQUEST_BODY "(?:\.\./|\%2e\%2e/|\%2e\%2e%2f|etc/passwd|wp-config\.php|\.env)" "t:none,t:urlDecode,t:lowercase"

Example Nginx location block

location ~* /wp-content/plugins/latepoint/ {
    if ($request_uri ~* "(\.\./|%2e%2e|etc/passwd|wp-config\.php|\.env)") {
        return 403;
    }
}

Lightweight regex for many WAFs

/(\.\./|\%2e\%2e/|\%2e\%2e%2f|etc/passwd|wp-config\.php|\.env)/i

Tip: Do not apply broad global ../ blocking; scope the rules to plugin endpoints and test in staging to avoid breaking legitimate functionality.

Hardening & server-side mitigations

• Restrict file permissions: Set wp-config.php to 400/440/640 as appropriate; ensure files are not world-writable.
• Disable PHP execution: Add .htaccess or nginx configs to prevent PHP execution in uploads and other untrusted directories.
• Remove sensitive files from webroot: Backups and configs should not be stored under public_html.
• Isolate sensitive configuration: Move creds outside webroot where hosting permits.
• Least-privilege DB accounts: Grant only necessary privileges (SELECT/INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE) and avoid SUPER/FILE where possible.
• Monitor integrity: Use hash-based file integrity checks and alert on unexpected changes.
• Timely updates: Maintain a patching SLA and a controlled automatic update policy where safe.

If you suspect you were exploited: incident response checklist (detailed)

1. Isolate: Put the site in maintenance mode or take it offline; snapshot the server for forensics.
2. Preserve evidence: Archive webserver and application logs and current filesystem state.
3. Full backup & snapshot: Create separate, immutable backups of DB and files.
4. Scan and hunt: Search for web shells, recently modified files, unexpected cron jobs, and suspicious scheduled tasks.
5. Remove artifacts: Remove backdoors. If you cannot guarantee a clean state, rebuild from known-good backups.
6. Rotate credentials: Regenerate DB credentials, API keys, and reset admin passwords.
7. Reinstall from trusted sources: Reinstall WordPress core, themes, and plugins from vendor sources and apply LatePoint 5.1.94+ before enabling plugin functionality.
8. Monitor: Maintain heightened logging and watch for reinfection.
9. Report: Follow legal and regulatory disclosure requirements if user data is affected.

How to verify the patch and confirm safety

• Confirm LatePoint version shows 5.1.94 or later in Plugins > Installed Plugins.
• Perform a filediff against the vendor’s 5.1.94 release to ensure expected changes are present.
• Validate logs to ensure LFI attempts are blocked (403 responses or WAF logs indicating blocked signatures).
• In staging, test endpoints for expected behaviour—do not attempt to exploit in production.
• Run malware scans and file integrity checks; audit database connections and recent changes.

Why virtual patching matters (and when to use it)

Virtual patching is an important interim measure when immediate code updates are impractical due to scheduling, integration risk, or complex environments.

• It provides rapid edge protection without modifying plugin code.
• Properly scoped virtual patches reduce exposure while you schedule and test the canonical patch.
• Work with your hosting provider, CDN, or WAF operator to deploy targeted rules that focus on LatePoint endpoints and known LFI patterns.

Immediate checklist you can use right now

• Check if LatePoint is installed and confirm version.
• If version < 5.1.94 — schedule immediate update or remove the plugin temporarily.
• If you cannot update within 24 hours — request or implement a WAF rule targeting LatePoint LFI patterns.
• Search logs for “../”, “%2e%2e”, “wp-config.php”, “etc/passwd” combined with plugin paths.
• Ensure wp-config.php permissions are restrictive and not world-readable.
• Perform a full backup and scan for web shells.
• Rotate secrets and reset admin passwords.

Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) — examples to hunt for

• HTTP requests targeting LatePoint with traversal payloads, e.g.:
  • /wp-content/plugins/latepoint/public.php?file=../../../wp-config.php
  • /?lp_action=view&path=..%2f..%2f..%2fetc%2fpasswd
• Access logs returning 200 responses containing “DB_NAME” or “DB_PASSWORD”.
• New PHP files in uploads or obfuscated code in plugin/theme directories.
• Unexpected admin user creations aligned with attack attempts.
• Unusual outbound connections from the webserver soon after suspicious access.

Post-incident hardening: long-term measures

• Establish a patching SLA for critical vulnerabilities (eg. 24–72 hours).
• Centralize monitoring and alerting for exploitation patterns.
• Harden server configurations (disable file editing, disable PHP execution in uploads).
• Adopt defence-in-depth: WAF, secure hosting, least-privilege accounts, immutable backups, and active monitoring.
• Train administrators on safe update and incident response practices.

Responsible disclosure and timelines

When high-severity issues are disclosed, site owners must act quickly: apply vendor patches when available, or implement interim mitigations. Coordinate with your hosting provider, security team, or a trusted security consultant for virtual patching and forensics. Public disclosure timelines vary; your immediate priority is to reduce exposure.

Closing note from a Hong Kong security practitioner

This LatePoint LFI is a reminder that unauthenticated flaws can be exploited at scale within hours of disclosure. Be pragmatic and decisive: update to 5.1.94+, apply targeted edge protections if you cannot update immediately, harden permissions, and monitor logs closely. If you need help implementing WAF rules, performing forensic checks, or recovering a site, engage experienced sysadmins or security consultants who understand WordPress and your hosting environment.