Overview
CVE-2025-8084 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability affecting the AI Engine plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 3.1.8. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with Editor-level access or higher to make arbitrary web requests from the WordPress server. This can be exploited to query or modify internal services and retrieve sensitive information, particularly on cloud environments where metadata retrieval is possible.
Technical Details
The vulnerability resides within the rest_helpers_create_images function of the AI Engine plugin. Specifically, the lack of proper input validation and sanitization in how this function handles URLs allows an attacker to craft requests that force the server to connect to arbitrary internal or external resources. The vulnerable code sections can be found in:
rest.php#L742: The entry point and core logic where the request is initiated.image.php#L89: The image processing component that can be manipulated via the vulnerable function.
By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can potentially:
- Scan internal network resources.
- Access internal APIs and services that are not publicly exposed.
- Read sensitive files from the server.
- Retrieve metadata from cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score for CVE-2025-8084 is 6.8 (MEDIUM).
This score reflects the following factors:
- Attack Vector (AV): Network
- Attack Complexity (AC): Low
- Privileges Required (PR): High (Editor and above)
- User Interaction (UI): None
- Scope (S): Unchanged
- Confidentiality Impact (C): Partial
- Integrity Impact (I): Partial
- Availability Impact (A): Partial
Possible Impact
The impact of CVE-2025-8084 can be significant, especially for WordPress sites hosted on cloud infrastructure. Successful exploitation could lead to:
- Data Breach: Exposure of sensitive data stored on internal systems.
- Compromised Infrastructure: Access to internal network resources and services, potentially allowing lateral movement within the network.
- Denial of Service (DoS): Overloading internal services by making excessive requests.
- Cloud Instance Takeover: In cloud environments, attackers can retrieve instance metadata, potentially gaining access to credentials and sensitive configuration information, and ultimately leading to full instance compromise.
Mitigation & Patch Steps
The recommended mitigation is to update the AI Engine plugin to the latest version, which includes a fix for this vulnerability. If an update is not yet available, consider the following temporary mitigations:
- Disable the AI Engine plugin until a patched version is released.
- Implement strict network segmentation and access control policies to limit the potential impact of SSRF attacks.
- Monitor outgoing network traffic from your WordPress server for suspicious activity.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules: Implement WAF rules to detect and block requests containing potentially malicious URLs or patterns.
Important: Regularly update all your WordPress plugins and themes to minimize the risk of vulnerabilities.
