CVE-2015-9489 in ThemeMakers Goodnex Premium Responsive Theme
Summary
by MITRE
The ThemeMakers Goodnex Premium Responsive theme through 2015-05-15 for WordPress allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information (such as user_login, user_pass, and user_email values) via a direct request for the wp-content/uploads/tmm_db_migrate/wp_users.dat URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/08/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-9489 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the ThemeMakers Goodnex Premium Responsive WordPress theme. This weakness specifically affects versions released through May 15, 2015, creating an exploitable path for remote attackers to access sensitive user account data. The vulnerability stems from improper access controls and insecure direct object references that allow unauthorized users to directly access stored user credential information through a predictable file path within the theme's upload directory structure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a direct URI access pattern where attackers can navigate to wp-content/uploads/tmm_db_migrate/wp_users.dat to retrieve stored user credentials. This file contains sensitive information including user_login identifiers, user_pass password hashes, and user_email addresses in a format that could potentially be exploited for further attacks. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and inadequate authorization checks within the theme's file management system, allowing any remote user to bypass normal WordPress authentication mechanisms and directly access stored user data without proper credentials or permissions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for WordPress sites using the affected theme. Attackers can leverage this information disclosure to conduct credential stuffing attacks against user accounts, perform social engineering operations using collected email addresses, or use obtained password hashes for offline cracking attempts. The vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and represents a clear failure in implementing proper access control mechanisms. Organizations using this theme face potential account takeovers, data breaches, and compliance violations that could result in regulatory penalties and reputational damage.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential privilege escalation and lateral movement within compromised environments. Security professionals should consider this weakness in relation to ATT&CK framework tactic TA0006 (Credential Access) and technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) as attackers can use the stolen credentials to establish persistent access to affected systems. Mitigation strategies should include immediate theme updates to versions that address the insecure file access pattern, implementation of proper access controls for upload directories, and deployment of web application firewalls to block direct URI access attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security audits of all installed WordPress themes and plugins to identify similar insecure direct object reference vulnerabilities that could be exploited in similar fashion.