插件名稱 | Felan Framework |
---|---|
Type of Vulnerability | Hardcoded credentials |
CVE Number | CVE-2025-10850 |
Urgency | High |
CVE Publish Date | 2025-10-16 |
Source URL | CVE-2025-10850 |
Urgent Security Advisory — Felan Framework plugin (<= 1.1.4): Hardcoded Credentials (CVE-2025-10850)
作者: Managed-WP Security Research Team
Date: 2025-10-16
標籤: WordPress, Vulnerability, WAF, Incident Response, Felan Framework
Summary: A critical broken authentication vulnerability has been identified in the Felan Framework WordPress plugin (versions <= 1.1.4). This flaw (CVE-2025-10850) exposes hardcoded credentials that allow unauthenticated attackers to perform privileged operations within affected sites. The issue carries a CVSS score of 9.8 and was patched in version 1.1.5. If your website utilizes this plugin version, immediate action is required: update, contain potential exposure, and verify your environment has not been compromised.
Table of contents
- What happened
- Why this matters for WordPress site owners
- Technical summary of the issue
- How attackers can abuse hardcoded credentials — realistic attack scenarios
- Immediate actions (0–24 hours)
- Containment and mitigation (when you can’t immediately update)
- Detection and incident response (what to look for)
- Recovery and hardening after compromise
- Guidance for developers to avoid hardcoded secrets
- How Managed-WP protects sites from this kind of risk
- Start protecting right away — free baseline protection (sign-up info)
- Appendix: practical commands and WAF rule examples
What happened
Security experts have disclosed a broken authentication vulnerability in the Felan Framework WordPress plugin, affecting all releases up to version 1.1.4. The vulnerability is due to hardcoded credentials embedded directly in the plugin’s code, which unauthorized actors can exploit to access privileged functions without any authentication.
The plugin’s maintainers have released version 1.1.5 to remove these hardcoded credentials and properly secure authentication flows. Despite the patch, many sites remain exposed due to delayed updates. Attackers commonly automate scanning and exploitation soon after advisories are posted, increasing the urgency.
Why this matters for WordPress site owners
Hardcoded credentials represent a critical security risk for several reasons:
- They circumvent conventional authentication mechanisms because secrets are fixed in code and potentially accessible.
- If the embedded credentials allow administrative-level access or interaction with remote APIs, attackers can add admin users, install malicious code, extract sensitive data, or pivot within network environments.
- No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, exposing it openly to any attacker on the internet.
- The CVSS score of 9.8 reflects a high likelihood of rapid, automated mass exploitation.
Any WordPress installation running Felan Framework version 1.1.4 or earlier must assume immediate risk until updated and audited.
Technical summary of the issue
Hardcoded credentials occur when fixed usernames, passwords, API tokens, or keys are embedded in source code in a way that unauthorized users can invoke or deduce them. Examples include:
- Static username/password checks in plugin functions, e.g.,
if ($user === 'admin' && $pass === 'secret123')
. - API keys or tokens hardcoded to authenticate privileged actions or API calls.
- Backdoor-style checks that authorize actions via hardcoded tokens or credentials.
In this case, attackers exploit these embedded secrets to invoke administrative endpoints or remote operations without legitimate authentication. The patch replaces hardcoded credentials with proper authorization mechanisms.
CVE: CVE-2025-10850
Patch: Upgrade the Felan Framework plugin to version 1.1.5 or higher.
How attackers can abuse hardcoded credentials — realistic attack scenarios
Here are common tactics attackers may employ:
- Direct endpoint exploitation
- The plugin exposes admin-related REST or AJAX endpoints that accept hardcoded tokens. Attackers submit requests with these tokens to create admin accounts, modify settings, or execute arbitrary operations.
- Credential harvesting from accessible source code
- If plugin files are inadvertently exposed via misconfigurations, backups, or public repositories, attackers can extract the hardcoded secrets and then issue privileged requests.
- Privilege escalation and lateral movement
- Using the credentials to establish persistence by creating new admin users, installing backdoors or malicious plugins, and moving laterally if multiple sites share hosting or credentials.
- Automated mass scanning and exploitation
- Attackers will automate exploitation at scale, probing thousands of sites for the vulnerable plugin version and deploying payloads rapidly.
Immediate actions (0–24 hours)
All WordPress administrators and hosts should proceed without delay:
- Identify affected sites
- Search server environments and inventories to locate installations running the Felan Framework plugin.
- Check plugin versions via WordPress Dashboard, or by inspecting
wp-content/plugins/felan-framework/readme.txt
或者felan-framework.php
headers.
- Update the plugin immediately
- Upgrade all affected sites to version 1.1.5 or newer to address the vulnerability definitively.
- Large site operators should automate updates using WP-CLI or management systems:
wp plugin update felan-framework --version=1.1.5
- Temporary containment if immediate update is not possible
- Restrict access to plugin-related endpoints via WAF, firewall rules, or server configuration (examples provided below).
- Audit after patching
- Perform verification and incident response checks to confirm no compromise occurred (see detection section).
Containment and mitigation (when you can’t immediately update)
If patching is delayed due to operational constraints, implement these mitigations:
- Block plugin endpoints access
- Use server or firewall rules to deny requests to REST API routes or admin-ajax.php actions exposed by the plugin, unless from trusted IPs.
- Example nginx snippet to block plugin directory:
location ~* /wp-content/plugins/felan-framework/ { deny all; return 403; }
Note: This may disrupt functionality; test carefully and use as short-term emergency control.
- Implement WAF rules blocking exploit signatures
- Preemptively block suspicious POST parameters or request patterns related to the vulnerability.
- Example ModSecurity rule:
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-content/plugins/felan-framework/" "id:100100,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'Blocked Felan framework exploit attempt'"
Customize rule IDs and patterns to your environment.
- Rate-limit and challenge access
- Add CAPTCHA and rate limits on
admin-ajax.php
and REST API endpoints to slow automated attacks.
- Add CAPTCHA and rate limits on
- Block common attacker user agents
- Filter requests with suspicious user-agent headers often used by scanning bots.
- Isolate sites if active exploitation is detected
- Place affected sites in maintenance or quarantine mode, sever network access to stop further spread or damage.
Detection and incident response (what to look for)
Assuming targets are being scanned or exploited, run through this incident checklist:
- Review administrator accounts
- List admin users with WP-CLI:
wp user list --role=administrator --format=table
- Query database for admin roles:
SELECT ID, user_login, user_email, user_registered FROM wp_users WHERE ID IN (SELECT user_id FROM wp_usermeta WHERE meta_key = 'wp_capabilities' AND meta_value LIKE '%administrator%');
- Look for unknown accounts or recent suspicious registrations.
- List admin users with WP-CLI:
- Check for file modifications
- Compare hashes against clean backups.
- Search for recently changed files in plugin or uploads directories:
find . -type f -mtime -14 -print
- Scan for webshells and malware
- Look for PHP payloads containing:
eval(base64_decode(
,preg_replace("/.*/e",
, 或者system($_GET['cmd'])
- Example grep command:
grep -R --exclude-dir=vendor -n "base64_decode" wp-content/
- Look for PHP payloads containing:
- Review access logs
- Search for suspicious POST requests or repeated hits on plugin-specific REST or AJAX endpoints.
- Inspect database for anomalies
- Check
wp_options
for suspicious entries:
SELECT option_name, option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE '%felan%' OR option_value LIKE '%base64%';
- Look for rogue cron jobs in WordPress scheduler:
wp cron event list
- Check
- Perform IP reputation lookups
- Investigate IPs attempting exploitation for threat intelligence and blocking.
- Confirm plugin versions
- Ensure that vulnerable versions were installed at relevant times.
Recovery and hardening after compromise
If a breach is confirmed, follow these essential steps:
- Contain the breach
- Take the site offline or enable maintenance mode immediately.
- Reset all admin passwords to strong, unique credentials.
- Revoke and replace API keys or tokens associated with the site/plugins.
- Clean affected files
- Restore WordPress core, themes, and plugins from trusted sources.
- Remove unknown admin users and undo unauthorized database modifications.
- Delete malicious files and backdoors, utilizing trusted malware removal tools.
- Audit for persistence
- Identify and remove:
- Malicious scheduled tasks (cron jobs)
- Backdoors in
wp-config.php
or mu-plugins - Hidden files in
uploads/
directories
- Rotate all secrets
- Change database credentials, FTP/SFTP passwords, and any control panel access.
- Enable multi-factor authentication on all privileged accounts.
- Restore from clean backup
- If available, restore from backups taken before the breach.
- Scan again before returning the site to production.
- Report and document
- Keep detailed records of the incident, timelines, remediation, and lessons learned.
- Engage professional incident responders if needed.
Guidance for developers — avoid hardcoded secrets
This incident underscores essential secure development best practices:
- Never embed credentials within source code. Use environment variables, configuration files, or secure vaults.
- Treat all secrets as externalized configuration; exclude them from version control.
- Enforce WordPress’s native capability and permission checks instead of custom hardcoded shortcuts.
- Sanitize inputs rigorously and authenticate every privileged action.
- Provide clear upgrade paths and promptly patch security issues.
- Perform static code analysis and security audits regularly.
- Establish responsible disclosure policies and monitor vulnerability reports.
How Managed-WP protects sites from this kind of risk
At Managed-WP, we routinely encounter and mitigate vulnerabilities like this through our multi-layered security framework:
- Managed WAF rules: We deploy virtual patches to block exploit traffic targeting known vulnerabilities, preventing attackers from reaching sensitive plugin endpoints.
- Automated malware scanning: Our scanners detect suspicious PHP constructs and known webshell signatures promptly.
- Incident mitigation: Upon new high-severity disclosures, we rapidly implement targeted blocking rules while you schedule plugin updates.
- Auto-mitigation: For managed customers, automated protections roll out quickly across multiple sites to reduce attack surface attack.
- Comprehensive reporting: We provide actionable remediation guides and diagnostics to support rapid recovery and validation.
Our layered approach is designed to buy critical time for patching and prevent full site compromise during vulnerability windows.
Start protecting right away — free baseline protection
Immediate, no-cost baseline protection for vulnerable sites
We urge every WordPress site owner to implement baseline defenses proactively. Managed-WP’s Basic (Free) plan offers essential protection that significantly shrinks the risk window while patches are applied:
- Managed firewall with an evolving ruleset tailored to block known attack vectors and vulnerabilities.
- Automated malware scanning to detect indicators of compromise and suspicious artifacts.
- Mitigation of OWASP Top 10 risks through best practice WAF policies.
Sign up easily and enable baseline protection in minutes:
https://my.wp-firewall.com/buy/wp-firewall-free-plan/
For multi-site operations or advanced remediation needs, our paid plans add automated malware removal, virtual patching, and proactive threat intelligence.
Appendix: practical commands and WAF rule examples
Use the following commands and example configuration snippets carefully and tailor them to your environment:
- Identify plugin files and version:
# List plugin directory contents and plugin version ls -la wp-content/plugins/felan-framework/ grep -R "Version" wp-content/plugins/felan-framework/* | head
- Find recently changed files (last 30 days):
find wp-content/plugins -type f -mtime -30 -print
- List administrator users with WP-CLI:
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,user_registered
- Search for suspicious PHP code patterns:
grep -R --exclude-dir=node_modules --exclude-dir=vendor -n "base64_decode\|eval(\|preg_replace(.*/e\)" .
- Example ModSecurity rule to block plugin exploit attempts:
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-content/plugins/felan-framework/" \ "id:100500,phase:1,deny,log,status:403,msg:'Blocked request to Felan Framework plugin path'"
- Example nginx config to restrict plugin folder to admin IP:
location ^~ /wp-content/plugins/felan-framework/ { allow 203.0.113.42; # Replace with your admin IP deny all; return 403; }
This may break public plugin features; use as emergency measure only.
- Example WAF rule to block specific suspicious POST parameters:
SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Content-Type "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \ "chain,SecRule ARGS:param_name \"@rx ^(hardcoded_secret|suspicious_value)$\" \ ,id:100501,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'Blocked known Felan exploit parameter'"
Final notes — crucial best practices
- Prioritize plugin updates as the definitive fix.
- Use automation tools to safely deploy updates across numerous sites.
- Layer your defenses with WAF, malware scanning, monitoring, and solid operational hygiene including reliable backups and least privilege principles.
- If you detect a compromise or are unsure how to respond, engage professional incident response services to ensure thorough remediation and reduce long-term risk.
Need help auditing for Felan Framework presence, deploying temporary WAF rules, or walking through detection commands? Our Managed-WP Security Team is ready to assist. We understand the urgency and stress that accompanies high-severity disclosures — act now to protect your assets and minimize impact.
— Managed-WP Security Research & Incident Response Team