CVE-2025-5394
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe Alone – Charity Multipurpose Non-profit WordPress Theme theme for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to a missing capability check on the alone_import_pack_install_plugin() function in all versions up to, and including, 7.8.3. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to upload zip files containing webshells disguised as plugins from remote locations to achieve remote code execution. CVE-2025-54019 is likely a duplicate of this.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe Alone WordPress theme (versions up to 7.8.3) contains an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the alone_import_pack_install_plugin() function. This function lacks proper capability/authorization checks, allowing unauthenticated attackers to remotely upload and install malicious plugin packages (ZIP files containing webshells) directly to the WordPress site, achieving remote code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Alone theme is installedCheck the wp-content/themes/ directory for a folder named 'alone' or check the WordPress themes admin panel at Appearance > ThemesAffected if The Alone theme folder exists in wp-content/themes/ or appears in the WordPress themes list
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Determine the installed Alone theme versionOpen the style.css file inside the alone theme folder (wp-content/themes/alone/style.css) and locate the 'Version:' header in the file header comments, or check theme.json for a version fieldAffected if The reported version is 7.8.3 or any version lower than 7.8.4
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Check for the vulnerable function fileSearch the alone theme folder for the file containing 'alone_import_pack_install_plugin' - typically in includes/ or similar subdirectories - using grep or file searchAffected if The function alone_import_pack_install_plugin() exists in theme files, indicating the vulnerable code path is present
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Inspect access logs for suspicious plugin installation requestsReview web server access logs (Apache, Nginx) for POST requests to endpoints that may invoke the vulnerable function, such as admin-ajax.php with action parameters related to import_pack or install_plugin, especially from unauthenticated IPsAffected if Unauthenticated POST requests to plugin import/install endpoints are found in logs, particularly those containing .zip file uploads
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Audit uploaded plugins for malicious filesList all files in wp-content/plugins/ and check for recently added or unfamiliar plugins, especially those containing suspicious PHP files (webshells, base64-encoded content, or eval() calls)Affected if Unexpected plugin directories or suspicious PHP files with obfuscated code exist in the plugins folder
A defender is affected if the Alone theme is installed at version 7.8.3 or lower, or if evidence of unauthorized plugin uploads appears in the filesystem or server logs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpdate the Alone theme to version 7.8.4 or later immediately. If no patch is available, remove the theme entirely and audit the site for existing compromise. Consider deploying a WAF rule to block suspicious plugin upload requests as an interim measure.
Alone Theme version 7.8.4 or latest available version
- 1. Update the Alone – Charity Multipurpose Non-profit WordPress Theme to version 7.8.4 or later via the WordPress admin dashboard under Appearance > Themes, or download the latest version from the theme vendor.
- 2. After updating, verify the theme version reflects 7.8.4 or higher in the WordPress admin under Appearance > Themes > Theme Details.
- 3. Confirm that the alone_import_pack_install_plugin() function is no longer accessible to unauthenticated users by reviewing server access logs for any exploitation attempts prior to the update.
- 4. If exploitation is suspected, perform a full security audit of the WordPress installation, including reviewing uploaded files in the /wp-content/uploads/ and /wp-content/plugins/ directories for suspicious PHP files.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-5394 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-5394 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data