CVE-2015-9490 in ThemeMakers GamesTheme Premium Theme
Summary
by MITRE
The ThemeMakers GamesTheme Premium 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 identified as CVE-2015-9490 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the ThemeMakers GamesTheme Premium WordPress theme version 2015-05-15 and earlier. This vulnerability exposes sensitive user account data through an improperly secured file access mechanism that allows remote attackers to directly access stored user credentials. The affected theme stores user information in a file named wp_users.dat located within the wp-content/uploads/tmm_db_migrate/ directory structure, which can be accessed without proper authentication or authorization checks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and improper file permissions within the theme's upgrade and migration functionality. When the theme performs database migration operations, it creates a temporary file containing user account information including usernames, password hashes, and email addresses. This file is stored in a publicly accessible upload directory without proper security measures to prevent unauthorized access. The flaw operates as a classic path traversal and access control bypass vulnerability where the attacker can directly request the specific URI path to retrieve the sensitive data file.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with comprehensive user credential information that can be used for various malicious activities including account takeover, credential stuffing attacks, and lateral movement within compromised systems. The exposed data includes user_login values which identify valid usernames, user_pass values which contain password hashes that can be subjected to offline brute force attacks, and user_email values that can be used for social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns. This information disclosure vulnerability essentially provides attackers with a complete user database that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to multiple user accounts.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-22 (Improper Limiting of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) categories, representing a clear violation of secure coding practices for file access control. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing) as attackers can leverage the exposed credentials to establish persistent access and conduct further reconnaissance. The weakness also demonstrates poor principle of least privilege implementation where sensitive data is stored with inadequate access restrictions. Organizations using affected versions of the GamesTheme Premium theme face significant risk of unauthorized account access and potential data breaches.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate removal of the vulnerable theme from all affected WordPress installations, implementation of proper file access controls to prevent unauthorized URI access, and enforcement of secure file storage practices that ensure sensitive data is not stored in publicly accessible directories. Additionally, system administrators should conduct comprehensive security audits of all installed WordPress themes and plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities, implement web application firewalls to monitor and block direct file access attempts, and ensure that all WordPress installations maintain current security patches. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure configuration management and proper input validation in web applications to prevent unauthorized data access through improper file handling mechanisms.