プラグイン名	JoomSport
Type of Vulnerability	Directory Traversal
CVE Number	CVE-2025-7721
緊急	高い
CVE Publish Date	2025-10-03
Source URL	CVE-2025-7721

Urgent: JoomSport <= 5.7.3 — Unauthenticated Directory Traversal → Local File Inclusion (CVE-2025-7721) — What Site Owners Must Do Now

著者： WP‑Firewall Security Team
日付： 2025-10-03
タグ: WordPress, Vulnerability, JoomSport, LFI, Security, WAF

まとめ： A high‑severity Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability affecting JoomSport plugin versions <= 5.7.3 allows unauthenticated attackers to perform directory traversal and include local files from the web server. The issue is tracked as CVE‑2025‑7721 and was fixed in version 5.7.4. If you run JoomSport, treat this as urgent — patch immediately and, if you cannot patch right away, apply mitigations described below.

TL;DR — Immediate actions for WordPress site owners

• If you use JoomSport: update the plugin to version 5.7.4 or later immediately.
• If you cannot update right away: disable the plugin until you can update, restrict access to the plugin endpoints, or deploy an effective web application firewall (WAF) rule (virtual patch).
• Audit logs and scan the site for signs of exploitation (suspicious LFI requests, unexpected file reads, or new shells).
• Rotate secrets (database credentials, API keys) if you detect any suspicious access or if you used any plaintext files that could have been read.
• Take backups, and follow an incident response plan if compromise is suspected.

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What happened (plain language)

A recently disclosed vulnerability in the JoomSport WordPress plugin (versions up to and including 5.7.3) enables unauthenticated attackers to exploit a directory traversal vector and trigger local file inclusion (LFI). In simple terms: an attacker can request crafted URLs that force the plugin to read files outside the intended directory and return their contents. Files on the server may include configuration files that hold credentials (for example wp-config.php), logs, or other sensitive resources.

Because the vulnerability is exploitable without authentication, any site running an affected version is exposed to automated scanning and rapid exploitation attempts. The vulnerability has a high CVSS severity (8.1) and carries a realistic risk of mass exploitation.

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Why this is dangerous

Local File Inclusion vulnerabilities are particularly serious for several reasons:

• Confidential data exposure: LFI can expose files containing database credentials, API keys, or other secrets. If an attacker retrieves database credentials, they may take over the site database.
• Information disclosure aids further attacks: Even if the attacker cannot immediately escalate, retrieved configuration files and log files reveal system structure and potential weak points for follow‑on attacks.
• Remote code execution (RCE) pivot: In some configurations LFI can be chained with other weaknesses (for example, log poisoning or including files reachable via writeable upload directories) to achieve remote code execution.
• Mass exploitation: Unaudited plugins with unauthenticated LFI are easy to scan for and commonly targeted by automated attack scripts and botnets.

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Technical summary (what the vulnerability is)

• Vulnerability class: Local File Inclusion (LFI) via directory traversal.
• Affected software: JoomSport WordPress plugin, versions <= 5.7.3.
• Fixed in: JoomSport 5.7.4.
• CVE: CVE‑2025‑7721
• Privilege required: None (Unauthenticated)
• Reported researcher: mikemyers

In this vulnerability the plugin exposes an endpoint or parameter that accepts a filename or path. Input sanitization and path normalization are insufficient, allowing sequences such as ../ (or their URL encoded equivalents) to escape the allowed plugin directories and reference arbitrary files on the server. When the plugin includes or reads the file and echoes contents back to the HTTP response, an attacker obtains file contents.

Note: We are intentionally not publishing request-level exploit details here. If you are a site owner, treat this as actionable and follow the defensive steps below.

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Exploitation scenarios and attacker goals

• Reconnaissance: scanning for the vulnerable endpoint to enumerate installations that serve the vulnerable plugin.
• Credential theft: retrieving wp-config.php or other config files to get DB credentials and secret salts.
• Information gathering: reading /etc/passwd, server files, logs to determine platform details.
• Chaining attacks: using LFI combined with writable upload directories or log injection to achieve code execution.
• Site takeover: database access or RCE leads to admin account creation, backdoor installation, and use of the site in botnet or spam campaigns.

Given the low barrier (no auth) and common automated attacks, assume that unpatched sites are at high risk within hours or days of public disclosure.

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How to detect if you’ve been targeted or exploited

1. Access logs
   • Look for HTTP requests to JoomSport plugin paths that contain directory traversal sequences (../ or encoded variants like %2e%2e%2f).
   • Repeated or noisy scanning patterns from single IPs, or many IPs targeting the same path.
2. Unusual responses
   • Unexpected pages returning file contents (configuration snippets, file headers).
   • Error messages that reveal server file paths.
3. File system and database anomalies
   • Unexpected admin users created in wp_ユーザー.
   • New PHP files in writable directories (wp-content/アップロード, plugin folders, tmp).
   • Altered .htaccess rules or scheduled tasks (cron jobs) created.
4. Outbound connections
   • Strange outbound connections to unknown IPs/domains (exfiltration or command-and-control).
   • Increased CPU or bandwidth usage.
5. Malware scanning
   • Use an up-to-date malware scanner and file integrity checker to find injected backdoors or modified core/plugin files.

If you find evidence of exploitation, treat as an incident: isolate, preserve logs, and follow an incident response procedure.

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Immediate mitigations (what to do now)

Apply these mitigations in priority order. Do not wait.

1. Update the plugin (best fix)
   • Upgrade JoomSport to 5.7.4 or later as soon as possible. This removes the vulnerable code path.
2. If immediate update is not possible — disable the plugin temporarily
   • Log into WordPress (or via SFTP/hosting control panel) and deactivate or remove the JoomSport plugin.
   • This is the most reliable temporary mitigation.
3. Virtual patching with WAF
   • If you run WP‑Firewall (or any effective WAF), enable the virtual patching ruleset targeting the known LFI patterns for this plugin. A good WAF can block exploitation attempts by matching directory traversal payloads, suspicious parameters, and signatures tied to JoomSport endpoints.
   • Make sure the rule is applied before the request reaches WordPress (at HTTP layer).
4. Block suspicious requests at the web server level (Nginx/Apache)
   • Deny requests containing ../ or encoded traversal sequences aimed at known plugin endpoints.
   • Example Nginx snippet (use carefully; test in staging):

   # block directory traversal attempts globally
   if ($request_uri ~* "\.\./|\%2e\%2e\%2f|\%2e\%2e/") {
       return 403;
   }
   

   Note: This is a blunt approach and may require customization to avoid false positives.

   • Apache (mod_rewrite) example:

   RewriteEngine On
   RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (\.\./|\%2e\%2e\%2f|\%2e\%2e/)
   RewriteRule .* - [F]
   

   Always test rules to avoid breaking legitimate functionality.

5. Tighten file permissions and PHP settings
   • Ensure wp-config.php is not web‑accessible and has secure permissions (e.g., 600 or 640 depending on host).
   • Disable dangerous PHP settings if possible: allow_url_include = Off (should be off in modern PHP installations).
   • Ensure upload directories are not executable (no PHP execution in wp-content/アップロード).
6. Network-level protections
   • Block known malicious IPs and aggressive scanners at the firewall or hosting level.
   • Rate‑limit or CAPTCHA suspicious traffic to plugin endpoints.
7. Monitoring and logging
   • Increase logging verbosity temporarily for the plugin-related endpoints and monitor for patterns.
   • Keep a record of the requests and any responses that could indicate where attackers attempted access.
8. Secrets rotation
   • If you discover any indication that wp-config.php or other secrets were exposed, rotate database credentials, API keys, and WordPress salts immediately.
   • After rotating credentials, ensure any persistent backdoors are removed to prevent re‑exposure.

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Long‑term hardening and post‑incident steps

1. Full site audit
   • Check file integrity (compare to backups or original plugin files).
   • Scan for web shells and suspicious PHP files.
   • Review user accounts, scheduled events, and database tables for unauthorized changes.
   • Check crontab on the server (if you have server access) for unknown jobs.
2. Restore or rebuild
   • If you find a compromise that cannot be confidently cleaned, restore from a clean backup taken prior to suspected compromise.
   • Reinstall core and plugins from trusted sources.
3. Implement a robust backup strategy
   • Keep regular, immutable backups offsite with point‑in‑time retention to recover from compromises.
4. Use principle of least privilege
   • Limit plugin and file write permissions where possible.
   • Use separate, limited database users for WordPress (no superuser DB permissions required).
5. Keep plugins, themes, and WordPress core updated
   • Apply updates regularly and test in staging before production if possible.
6. Deploy WAF and virtual patching
   • A properly configured WAF can provide virtual patches for unpatched vulnerabilities, stopping known exploitation patterns in real time.
7. Vulnerability management
   • Subscribe to reliable vulnerability alerting for WordPress plugins you use and maintain an inventory of plugin versions across sites.

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Recommended detection signatures and WAF rules (conceptual)

Below are examples of detection logic that a WAF or intrusion detection system should apply to block exploitation attempts. These are conceptual; adapt to your platform and test carefully to avoid false positives.

• Block requests to plugin paths containing traversal patterns:
  • Request URI contains “joomsport” AND request parameters contain “../” OR encoded variants (%2e%2e%2f, %2e%2e/).
• Detect suspicious GET/POST parameter values:
  • Parameter values with many consecutive traversal sequences or with “php://” wrapper attempts.
• Rate‑limit high‑volume, similar requests targeting plugin endpoints.

Example pattern to block (regex idea):

• Regex to detect common traversal payloads:
  • (\.\./|\%2e\%2e\%2f|\%2e\%2e/)
• Combine with path matching for the plugin:
  • Example: if request_uri contains “/wp-content/plugins/joomsport” and request args match traversal regex → block.

Important: Always evaluate in a staging environment and tune rules to reduce false positives. A WAF vendor or security team can translate these detection concepts into tested rules for your environment.

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How WP‑Firewall helps (our perspective)

As the WP‑Firewall team, our focus is to help WordPress site owners respond to high‑risk vulnerabilities like this quickly and safely.

• We publish targeted virtual patches that block exploitation attempts at the HTTP layer before they reach WordPress, giving you immediate protection even if you cannot update instantly.
• Our managed firewall rules include detection for directory traversal payloads, encoded variants, and patterns that match known LFI attempts.
• We provide monitoring and alerts for suspicious activity tied to plugin endpoints, and tools to mitigate brute force and automated scanners.
• When an incident occurs, our recommended incident playbook helps you triage, contain, and remediate with minimum downtime.

If you manage multiple sites, a combination of patching governance, WAF virtual patching, continuous monitoring, and automated updates reduces the attack surface significantly.

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Developer guidance (for plugin authors and maintainers)

If you build or maintain plugins, take these lessons away:

1. Never trust user input for file paths
   • Normalize paths server‑side using safe path resolution functions and verify that requested paths are strictly within an allowed base directory.
   • Avoid constructing filesystem paths directly from user input.
2. Avoid including files based on user input
   • Prefer a whitelist of allowed files (explicit mapping), rather than accepting arbitrary filenames.
   • If dynamic includes are required, validate against an internal map and never accept attacker-controlled paths.
3. Use secure APIs
   • Where possible, use WordPress filesystem APIs that enforce safe behavior and follow WordPress best practices.
4. Encode output and reduce information exposure
   • Carefully control error messages and avoid printing full server paths or file contents for unexpected conditions.
5. Security testing
   • Run static analysis, fuzzing, and manual code reviews on code paths that perform file operations. Consider third‑party audits for high‑risk functionality.
6. Maintain a responsible disclosure process
   • Offer a clear security contact and respond promptly to reports. Early patches and coordinated disclosure reduce mass exploitation.

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If you suspect compromise — immediate incident response checklist

1. Put the site in maintenance / read‑only mode; block external traffic if possible.
2. Preserve logs and evidence (access, error logs, and any modified files).
3. Snapshot the server (if you have host access) for forensics.
4. Rotate all credentials that could have been exposed (DB, FTP/SFTP, API keys).
5. Update JoomSport to 5.7.4 (or remove the plugin) after preserving evidence.
6. Scan for and remove web shells, backdoors, and unauthorized admin users.
7. Restore from a clean backup if you cannot confidently remove all traces.
8. Notify affected parties and comply with any regulatory or disclosure obligations.
9. Harden the environment (apply mitigations listed above) before bringing the site back online.

If you need professional incident response, get help from experienced responders who can analyze logs and perform a comprehensive cleanup.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Q: Does simply updating to 5.7.4 completely eliminate the risk?
A: Updating removes the vulnerable code path in the plugin. If your site has already been exploited before updating, you must follow incident response steps: audit, rotate credentials, and clean/remove any backdoors.

Q: How quickly will automated scanners exploit this?
A: Unauthenticated LFI vulnerabilities are highly desirable for automated scripts. Exploitation attempts often begin hours or days after public disclosure. Protect immediately.

Q: Can I block access to the plugin folder at the server level?
A: You can restrict direct access to plugin PHP files with webserver rules, but be careful to avoid breaking required functionality. If possible, restrict access to plugin endpoints to known IPs or authenticated users while you patch.

Q: Should I disable the plugin or remove it?
A: If you cannot patch immediately, deactivating the plugin is the safest temporary measure. Removing the plugin ensures it cannot be exploited until updated and reinstalled from a clean source.

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Closing notes from WP‑Firewall

This vulnerability is high severity because it is unauthenticated and allows local file inclusion — a pattern frequently leveraged by attackers to escalate into full site takeover. If you run the JoomSport plugin on any site, follow the guidance above now: update to 5.7.4, or apply the temporary mitigations and virtual patching described.

Security is a continuous process: keep WordPress core, plugins, and themes updated; limit privileges; and deploy perimeter protections like a WAF to protect users while you manage updates. If you need help implementing mitigations, virtual patching, or an incident response plan, the WP‑Firewall team is available to assist.

安全にお過ごしください。
WP‑Firewall Security Team