Overview
This article addresses a critical security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-11456, affecting the ELEX WordPress HelpDesk & Customer Ticketing System plugin for WordPress. Versions up to and including 3.3.1 are vulnerable to an arbitrary file upload flaw. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to upload malicious files to the server, potentially leading to remote code execution and complete compromise of the affected website.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from a lack of proper file type validation within the eh_crm_new_ticket_post() function. The plugin fails to adequately check the file extension or content of uploaded files, allowing attackers to bypass intended security measures. By crafting a malicious request, an attacker can upload arbitrary files, such as PHP scripts, to the server.
The vulnerable function is located within the includes/class-crm-ajax-functions-three.php file of the plugin.
Here’s a simplified representation of the affected code (note: this is for illustrative purposes and may not be the exact code):
function eh_crm_new_ticket_post() {
// ... other code ...
$uploaded_file = $_FILES['ticket_attachment'];
$filename = $uploaded_file['name'];
// Missing file type validation here
move_uploaded_file($uploaded_file['tmp_name'], '/path/to/uploads/' . $filename);
// ... other code ...
}
The absence of proper validation before the move_uploaded_file function allows for the upload of any file type.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns a score of 9.8 to CVE-2025-11456, classifying it as CRITICAL severity.
- Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
- Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
- Privileges Required: None (PR:N)
- User Interaction: None (UI:N)
- Scope: Changed (S:C)
- Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H)
- Integrity Impact: High (I:H)
- Availability Impact: High (A:H)
This high score reflects the ease of exploitation and the potential for significant damage.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can have devastating consequences:
- Remote Code Execution (RCE): An attacker can execute arbitrary code on the server, gaining complete control of the website.
- Website Defacement: The attacker can modify the website’s content, damaging its reputation.
- Data Breach: Sensitive data stored on the server can be accessed and stolen.
- Malware Distribution: The website can be used to distribute malware to visitors.
- Denial of Service (DoS): The attacker can disrupt the website’s availability, making it inaccessible to legitimate users.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The most effective way to mitigate this vulnerability is to update the ELEX WordPress HelpDesk & Customer Ticketing System plugin to the latest version. Ensure that you are running a version greater than 3.3.1. Check for updates within your WordPress dashboard under the “Plugins” section.
If updating is not immediately possible, consider the following temporary mitigation steps:
- Disable the plugin: Deactivating the plugin will prevent the vulnerability from being exploited. However, this will also disable the helpdesk functionality.
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules: Configure your WAF to block requests containing suspicious file uploads. Specifically, look for requests attempting to upload files with potentially executable extensions like .php, .phtml, .php5, etc.
Important: These temporary measures are not a substitute for updating the plugin. Apply the update as soon as possible.
