CVE-2025-24019
Published: 21 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-24019 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Yeswiki Yeswiki. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique File Deletion (T1070.004); ranked in the top 29.4% 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 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2025-24019 affects YesWiki, a wiki system written in PHP, in versions up to and including 4.4.5. The vulnerability enables any authenticated user to delete arbitrary files owned by the user running the FastCGI Process Manager (FPM), such as www-data, via the filemanager without any limitation on filesystem scope. Classified as CWE-22 (Path Traversal), it has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H).
Any authenticated user can exploit this issue remotely with low complexity, leading to partial data loss and website defacement or deterioration through arbitrary content removal. In standard installations where www-data also owns the PHP files, an attacker can delete critical files like index.php or YesWiki core files, effectively denying access to the wiki. In unmodified container installations, YesWiki files owned by root (such as .php files) are not deletable by the www-data FPM process.
The YesWiki GitHub security advisory (GHSA-43c9-gw4x-pcx6) and patch commit (3ddd833d22703caf9025659eb174f7765df7147c) state that version 4.5.0 resolves the vulnerability.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-0129
Vulnerability details
YesWiki is a wiki system written in PHP. In versions up to and including 4.4.5, it is possible for any authenticated user, through the use of the filemanager to delete any file owned by the user running the FastCGI Process…
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Manager (FPM) on the host without any limitation on the filesystem's scope. This vulnerability allows any authenticated user to arbitrarily remove content from the Wiki resulting in partial loss of data and defacement/deterioration of the website. In the context of a container installation of YesWiki without any modification, the `yeswiki` files (for example .php) are not owned by the same user (root) as the one running the FPM process (www-data). However in a standard installation, www-data may also be the owner of the PHP files, allowing a malicious user to completely cut the access to the wiki by deleting all important PHP files (like index.php or core files of YesWiki). Version 4.5.0 contains a patch for this issue.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Authenticated arbitrary file deletion enables file deletion (T1070.004, T1107), data destruction (T1485), service stop by deleting critical files (T1489), and website defacement (T1491).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces approved access authorizations in the filemanager to prevent authenticated users from deleting arbitrary files owned by the FPM process beyond intended scope.
Validates file paths and inputs in the filemanager to mitigate path traversal (CWE-22) enabling unauthorized file deletions.
Applies least privilege to authenticated users and FPM process, restricting delete permissions on critical wiki files like index.php and core components.