插件名称	Real Spaces Theme
漏洞类型	Unauthenticated privilege escalation
CVE 编号	CVE-2025-6758
急	高
CVE 发布日期	2025-08-18
源网址	CVE-2025-6758

Critical: Real Spaces Theme (≤ 3.6) — Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation (CVE‑2025‑6758) — What WordPress Site Owners Must Do Now

概括

• Vulnerability: Privilege escalation via the theme endpoint imic_agent_register
• Affected software: Real Spaces WordPress theme — versions ≤ 3.6
• Fixed in: Real Spaces 3.6.1
• CVE: CVE‑2025‑6758
• CVSS: 9.8 (High — privilege escalation to administrator)
• Required privilege to exploit: None (Unauthenticated)
• Date published: 18 August 2025

As maintainers of a WordPress web application firewall and security service, we treat any unauthenticated privilege escalation as among the highest priorities. This Real Spaces issue allows unauthenticated attackers to escalate privileges — potentially creating or promoting accounts to administrator — which effectively hands the attacker full control of the site. In this guide we explain the vulnerability characteristics, risk and practical steps you can take right now to detect, mitigate, and fully remediate the issue. We also include guidance for theme/plugin developers to prevent similar issues in the future.

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What happened (short technical overview)

A public vulnerability affecting the Real Spaces theme’s properties directory components exposes an unauthenticated endpoint (imic_agent_register) that can be abused to escalate privileges. The endpoint is callable without proper authentication and missing/insufficient capability checks or CSRF protections. As a result, an unauthenticated actor can register or modify an agent user and elevate privileges (to administrator or other high-capability roles) on the impacted site.

This is tracked as CVE‑2025‑6758 and was fixed in Real Spaces version 3.6.1. If your site runs Real Spaces ≤ 3.6, treat this as an emergency.

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Why this is critical

• Unauthenticated: No existing account is required. Attackers can reach the endpoint and trigger the escalation flow.
• Privilege escalation to admin: Once an attacker becomes an administrator, they can install backdoors, create persistent admin users, exfiltrate data, deploy malware, or pivot to other accounts and services.
• High CVSS (9.8): A score this high indicates wide impact and ease of exploitation in many real-world scenarios.
• Likely mass exploitation: Privilege escalation in themes and plugins is commonly weaponized quickly through automated scanners and botnets.

Given the above, you should prioritize verification and mitigation immediately if you run the affected theme.

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How this class of issue typically works (developer-level summary)

Theme or plugin authors sometimes expose AJAX or front-end endpoints to allow third-party forms (for example, agent registration forms). Developers register these endpoints via add_action('wp_ajax_...') 或者 add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_...'). If the endpoint is registered for unauthenticated users (_nopriv) and the handler creates users or assigns roles without:

• Proper capability checks,
• Verified nonces (WP nonces),
• Input sanitization and validation, and
• Rate-limiting / abuse protection,

then an attacker can craft a request to create user accounts or change the roles of existing users. If the code allows assigning the 行政人员 role (or sets user capabilities directly) without verifying that the requestor is allowed to do so, privilege escalation results.

In this Real Spaces case, the endpoint imic_agent_register behaves unsafely for the reasons outlined, and attackers have a way to manipulate it to elevate privileges.

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Indicators of compromise (IoC) and detection tips

If you suspect your site might be targeted or already compromised, look for the following signs:

1. Unexpected admin users
   • Query your database for recently created users with high roles:
     SELECT ID, user_login, user_email, user_registered FROM wp_users WHERE user_registered >= '2025-08-01' ORDER BY user_registered DESC;
   • Check wp_usermeta for capability assignments like wp_capabilities that show administrator rights.
2. Suspicious requests to admin-ajax.php or custom endpoints
   • Search webserver logs for requests containing action=imic_agent_register or the endpoint path used by the theme.
   • Common request patterns: POST requests with parameters resembling registration fields.
3. Modified content or settings
   • New posts/pages published without author knowledge.
   • New plugins or themes installed, or existing ones modified.
   • Changes in wp_options such as active_plugins, siteurl, home.
4. Backdoors in files
   • File system scans triggered on modification timestamps or unusual PHP files in wp-content/上传, theme folders or wp-includes.
5. Elevated privileges used for malicious tasks
   • Scheduled tasks (cron) introduced by new plugins or themes.
   • Outbound connections to unknown IPs or domains from PHP processes.

Short log queries to check (example for Apache/Nginx access logs):

• grep "imic_agent_register" /var/log/nginx/access.log* | tail -n 200
• awk '$6 ~ /POST/ && $7 ~ /admin-ajax.php/ {print $0}' /var/log/apache2/access.log

If you find the imic_agent_register calls and cannot attribute them to legitimate user activity, treat this as suspicious.

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Immediate mitigation steps (fast, low-friction)

1. Update the theme to 3.6.1 (or later) immediately
   • The definitive fix is upgrading Real Spaces to 3.6.1, which contains corrected capability checks and protection.
2. If you cannot update immediately, apply temporary virtual patching via your WAF
   • Block requests with action=imic_agent_register made by unauthenticated clients.
   • Deny POST requests to the specific registration endpoint from unknown or untrusted IP addresses.
   • Implement rate-limiting and generic protections for registration endpoints.
3. Lock down user and administrator access
   • Reset passwords for existing administrators and any accounts created recently.
   • Enforce strong passwords and rotate keys/salts by regenerating AUTH_KEY / SECURE_AUTH_KEY 在 wp-config.php if you suspect compromise.
   • If possible, temporarily disable new user registrations until the site is patched.
4. Monitor and scan
   • Run a full malware scan and integrity check across theme and plugin files.
   • Review access logs and database user tables for new or modified administrator accounts.
5. If you have evidence of compromise, isolate the site
   • Take the site offline or set it into maintenance mode while you investigate.
   • Preserve logs and database snapshots for forensics.

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Recommended WAF / virtual patch rule (example)

Below is a generic ModSecurity-style rule you can apply directly if your host supports ModSecurity or your WAF accepts ModSecurity-compatible rules. This rule pattern is intentionally conservative and blocks unauthenticated POSTs attempting to call the vulnerable action. Adapt this to your environment.

注意： This is a temporary virtual patch. You must update the theme as the permanent fix.

# Block unauthenticated attempts to call imic_agent_register via admin-ajax.php
SecRule REQUEST_METHOD "POST" "phase:2,chain,deny,status:403,msg:'Blocked imic_agent_register - temporary virtual patch',log"
  SecRule ARGS_GET:action|ARGS_POST:action "@streq imic_agent_register" "t:none,chain"
  SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Cookie "!@contains wordpress_logged_in_" "t:none"

Explanation:

• Blocks POST requests where the 行动 parameter equals imic_agent_register.
• Allows requests if they come from an authenticated user (cookie check for wordpress_logged_in_).
• Customize cookie checks if your authentication cookie prefix differs (multisite, custom cookies).

Alternative simpler block (if you want to be more strict):

# Deny all unauthenticated requests to admin-ajax.php with imic_agent_register action
SecRule REQUEST_URI|ARGS_POST "@rx (admin-ajax\.php).*action=imic_agent_register" "phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'Block imic_agent_register'"

If you use a hosted WAF or firewall product, ask your platform’s support to push an equivalent rule for you immediately.

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Incident response playbook (detailed)

If you confirm exploitation or suspect it, follow these steps in sequence:

1. Preserve evidence
   • Snapshot the site’s files and database.
   • Copy webserver logs (access & error), PHP-FPM logs, and database logs.
   • Document timestamps and IP addresses of suspicious activity.
2. Isolate the site
   • Remove public access if feasible, or restrict access to known admin IPs.
   • Disable new user registration.
3. Reclaim administrative access
   • Reset passwords for all admin accounts to strong, unique values.
   • Consider creating a temporary emergency admin account using the database with a random username and a long password hashed with WP functions if you are locked out — only if you know what you are doing.
4. Remove malicious users and backdoors
   • Identify and remove unauthorized admin accounts. Note: if the site is compromised, attackers may have left backdoors; search for suspicious PHP files.
   • Scan the filesystem (themes, plugins, uploads) for unexpected PHP files or modified files.
5. Reinstall or update compromised components
   • Reinstall the Real Spaces theme from a trusted source or update it to 3.6.1+.
   • Reinstall any plugin and theme files from original sources if file integrity is in doubt.
6. Reissue keys and secrets
   • 更新 wp-config.php salts (AUTH_KEY, SECURE_AUTH_KEY, etc.) to invalidate existing auth cookies.
   • Rotate API keys used by the site (payment gateways, third-party integrations).
7. Harden and monitor post-clean
   • Enforce two-factor authentication (2FA) for admin accounts.
   • Enable strong password enforcement.
   • Deploy continuous file integrity monitoring and log alerting.
8. Report and notify
   • Inform stakeholders (site owners, hosting provider) and, if necessary, customers whose data may have been affected.
   • Comply with any applicable breach notification regulations.

If you are not confident performing these operations, engage a professional incident response provider—preferably one experienced in WordPress incident response.

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Longer-term fixes and hardening (preventing future privilege escalation)

1. Principle of least privilege
   • Never allow unauthenticated code paths to assign high-level roles (administrator, editor).
   • When creating users, default to the lowest necessary role (subscriber) and require an internal review/approval flow if the user needs elevated rights.
2. Proper use of WP nonces and capability checks
   • For actions that change site state, use 检查_ajax_referer() to validate the request nonce and 当前用户能够（） to ensure the current user is allowed to perform the action.
   • Avoid using add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_...') for sensitive operations.
3. Sanitize and validate all inputs
   • Use WP sanitization functions such as sanitize_text_field（）, sanitize_email(), wp_strip_all_tags(), and appropriate validation before using user-supplied data to create users or modify roles.
4. Avoid client-side authorization decisions
   • Do not trust client-controlled data such as role or capability fields in form submissions. Always map permitted role changes on the server side.
5. Implement rate limiting and throttling on public endpoints
   • Block abnormal volume of calls to registration endpoints and AJAX endpoints if requests exceed normal thresholds.
6. Security code reviews and unit tests
   • Include security reviews in release cycles.
   • Implement tests that ensure endpoints require appropriate capabilities and nonces.
7. Follow WordPress best practices for user management
   • New user creation flows should be handled by wp_create_user() 或者 wp_insert_user() with explicit role assignments vetted by server-side logic.
   • Avoid direct DB modifications that skip WP API checks.

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Developer guidance — what to check in your code

If you maintain or customize Real Spaces or any theme/plugin:

• Search code for imic_agent_register, add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_imic_agent_register', or equivalent strings.
• Inspect the handler function:
  • Does it register wp_insert_user() 或者 wp_update_user() for unauthenticated callers?
  • Are there 当前用户能够（） checks or nonces (检查_ajax_referer()) present?
  • Are role names accepted from user input (e.g., $_POST['role']) and assigned directly?
• Replace insecure patterns:
  • If an endpoint must be public (for example, a contact form), ensure it cannot change privileges and that any data used to create or modify accounts goes through a secure, reviewed flow.
• Add server-side logging for critical actions (user creation, role changes) with both pre- and post-action records.

Example of a safer AJAX handler pattern:

add_action( 'wp_ajax_my_secure_action', 'my_secure_action_handler' );

function my_secure_action_handler() {
    // Must be authenticated
    if ( ! is_user_logged_in() ) {
        wp_send_json_error( array( 'msg' => 'Authentication required' ), 401 );
    }

    // CSRF protection
    check_ajax_referer( 'my_secure_nonce', 'security' );

    // Capability check 
    if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) {
        wp_send_json_error( array( 'msg' => 'Insufficient privileges' ), 403 );
    }

    // Proceed with server-side sanitized data handling
    $data = sanitize_text_field( $_POST['data'] ?? '' );
    // ...
}

If the operation must be available to guests, it should only perform non-privileged tasks (store contact message, send email) and never create or modify users with elevated roles.

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Monitoring and detection improvements you should deploy

• File Integrity Monitoring: Track modifications to theme, plugin, and core files.
• Log Aggregation and Alerts: Configure alerts for:
  • New admin user creation
  • Role changes
  • Repeated POST requests to admin-ajax.php with unknown actions
• Scheduled DB audits: Create a cron task that checks for newly created users with admin capabilities and alerts you via email or Slack.
• Rate limiting at edge: Block or challenge excessive POSTs to AJAX endpoints (CAPTCHA or rate-limits).

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Real-world remediation checklist (copyable)

• ☐ Identify if Real Spaces <= 3.6 is installed.
• ☐ Upgrade Real Spaces to 3.6.1 (or newer) immediately.
• ☐ If immediate update is not possible, block imic_agent_register calls via WAF (example rules above).
• ☐ Audit wp_users and wp_usermeta for unauthorized admins.
• ☐ Reset passwords for all admin accounts and rotate salts.
• ☐ Run file system malware scan and remove suspicious files.
• ☐ Restore from a clean backup if malicious modifications are found.
• ☐ Enforce 2FA for admin accounts.
• ☐ Implement monitoring and alerts for user creation and role changes.
• ☐ Review custom theme/plugin code for insecure AJAX endpoints and fix capability/nonce checks.

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If you already discovered a malicious admin user — immediate steps

1. Do not delete the user immediately if you need forensic evidence. Instead:
   • Change the password to a secure random value.
   • Remove or revoke tokens, API keys and tokens associated with the account.
2. Take a database and filesystem snapshot for later forensic analysis.
3. Search for and remove scheduled tasks or cron jobs created by the malicious actor.
4. Revoke all sessions: update user session tokens or change AUTH_KEY values and invalidate cookies.
5. After cleanup, delete or demote the rogue account.

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How WP‑Firewall helps (short vendor perspective)

As a provider of managed WAF and security services, we focus on preventing exploitation via the following immediate and long-term controls:

• Virtual patching: deploy a rule that blocks unauthenticated attempts to call the vulnerable endpoint while you patch.
• Behavior-based detection: identify and throttle abnormal POSTs to AJAX endpoints, and detect account-creation anomalies.
• Continuous monitoring and alerting: notify owners of suspicious new admin accounts and file changes.
• Incident assistance: provide remediation guidance and, for paid plans, managed cleanup support.

If you rely on a hosting WAF or have security support, ask them to apply a temporary rule blocking action=imic_agent_register for unauthenticated requesters until you can update.

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Closing notes and final recommendations

• Priority: If you are using Real Spaces ≤ 3.6 — update now to 3.6.1.
• If patching is delayed, virtual patch the endpoint with a WAF rule and monitor for suspicious new admin accounts.
• Maintain backups and test restores frequently — they are your last line of recovery when all else fails.
• Use a layered security approach: hardening, monitoring and a responsive WAF together reduce risk and exposure.

If you want help implementing these mitigations or to get a virtual patch in front of your site immediately, our team is ready to assist. For quick, no-cost protection to reduce the immediate attack surface while you update, consider signing up for our Basic (Free) plan at: https://my.wp-firewall.com/buy/wp-firewall-free-plan/

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References and further reading

• CVE‑2025‑6758 entry
• WordPress best practices for AJAX and nonces
• WordPress user and role functions
• ModSecurity reference for rule examples

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If you’d like, we can produce a custom one‑page incident response checklist you can print and hand to your hosting/ops team, or we can prepare a ModSecurity/NGINX WAF rule tailored to your exact logs and PHP setup — just reply with your hosting environment and access details (we’ll only use them for configuration guidance).