dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2025-5396

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Bears Backup plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.0. This is due to the bbackup_ajax_handle() function not having a capability check, nor validating user supplied input passed directly to call_user_func(). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute code on the server which can be leverage to inject backdoors or create new administrative user accounts to name a few things. On WordPress sites running the Alone theme versions 7.8.4 and older, this can be chained with CVE-2025-5394 to install the Bears Backup plugin and achieve the same impact.

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 confidence

The Bears Backup WordPress plugin versions up to 2.0.0 contain an unauthenticated RCE vulnerability in the bbackup_ajax_handle() function, which passes unsanitized user input directly to call_user_func() without capability checks or input validation, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code.

MitigationUpdate Bears Backup plugin to version 2.0.1 or later which adds proper capability checks and input validation; for sites with Alone theme ≤7.8.4, also address CVE-2025-5394 to prevent the attack chain.

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Bears Backup plugin is installed
    Check your WordPress installation's /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'bears-backup' or look for it in Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
    Affected if The bears-backup plugin folder exists in the plugins directory
  2. Identify the installed version of Bears Backup
    Open the main plugin file (typically bears-backup/bears-backup.php) and locate the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block, or check the plugin row in the WordPress admin Plugins page
    Affected if The version is 2.0.0 or earlier (any version up to and including 2.0.0)
  3. Confirm the vulnerable AJAX handler exists
    Search the plugin files for the function 'bbackup_ajax_handle' and verify it contains a direct call to call_user_func() with unsanitized user input from $_POST or $_REQUEST
    Affected if The bbackup_ajax_handle function exists and passes $_POST/$_REQUEST parameters directly to call_user_func() without sanitization
  4. Check for Alone theme presence (attack chain)
    Check your WordPress installation's /wp-content/themes/ directory for an 'alone' folder and identify its version, or view it in Appearance > Themes in the admin dashboard
    Affected if Alone theme version 7.8.4 or earlier is installed alongside the vulnerable Bears Backup plugin

You are affected if the Bears Backup plugin version is 2.0.0 or earlier, particularly if the bbackup_ajax_handle function is accessible and Alone theme ≤7.8.4 is also present for the full attack chain.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Bears Backup plugin to version 2.0.1 or later which adds proper capability checks and input validation; for sites with Alone theme ≤7.8.4, also address CVE-2025-5394 to prevent the attack chain.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version of Bears Backup plugin (greater than 2.0.0)

  1. 1. Update the Bears Backup plugin to the latest available version from the WordPress plugin repository or the official source
  2. 2. Verify the update was successfully applied by checking the plugin version in WordPress admin > Plugins
  3. 3. Confirm the site functions normally after the update
  4. 4. If using the Alone theme (versions 7.8.4 and older), also address CVE-2025-5394 to prevent the chained attack vector

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,300
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-5396 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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