CVE-2018-25270

CriticalPublic PoC

Published: 22 April 2026

Published

22 April 2026

Modified

27 April 2026

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 9.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0094 76.5th percentile

Risk Priority 20 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2018-25270 is a critical-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (CWE-639) vulnerability in Thinkphp Thinkphp. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 23.5% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190). What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

Directly mitigates the RCE vulnerability by requiring timely patching of ThinkPHP beyond version 5.0.23 to eliminate the arbitrary function invocation flaw.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

prevent

Prevents exploitation by enforcing validation and sanitization of routing parameters to block unauthenticated arbitrary PHP code execution.

CM-6 Configuration Settings partial match

prevent

Addresses the vulnerability by enforcing secure configuration settings for ThinkPHP routing to restrict exposure of function invocation capabilities.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access

Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.

attack.mitre.org →

Why these techniques?

CVE-2018-25270 enables unauthenticated remote code execution via crafted HTTP requests to a public-facing PHP web framework (ThinkPHP), directly mapping to T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application.

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

NVD Description

ThinkPHP 5.0.23 contains a remote code execution vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code by invoking functions through the routing parameter. Attackers can craft requests to the index.php endpoint with malicious function parameters to execute system commands…

with application privileges.

Deeper analysisAI

CVE-2018-25270 is a remote code execution vulnerability in ThinkPHP version 5.0.23, a popular PHP framework. The flaw arises from the ability to invoke arbitrary functions through the routing parameter, enabling unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code. Specifically, attackers can craft malicious requests to the index.php endpoint with function parameters that trigger system command execution under the application's privileges. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key).

Any unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability without user interaction or privileges, as it requires low complexity and no special access. By sending a tailored HTTP request to the vulnerable index.php endpoint, the attacker can invoke dangerous PHP functions, leading to full remote code execution on the server. This grants high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, potentially allowing full server compromise, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement within the environment.

Mitigation guidance and patches are referenced in official and third-party advisories, including the ThinkPHP framework GitHub repository at https://github.com/top-think/framework/, the official ThinkPHP site at https://thinkphp.cn, an Exploit-DB entry at https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45978 detailing a proof-of-concept, and a VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/thinkphp-remote-code-execution-via-invokefunction. Practitioners should upgrade to a patched version of ThinkPHP beyond 5.0.23 and review routing configurations for exposed function invocation.

A public exploit is available on Exploit-DB, indicating potential for widespread abuse in unpatched installations, though no specific real-world campaigns are detailed in the provided information.