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Critical

Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion in Hide My WP Ghost

IdentifiersCVE-2025-26909CWE-98· Improper Control of Filename for…

CVE-2025-26909 affects the John Darrel Hide My WP Ghost WordPress plugin (Hide My WP Ghost) in versions through 5.4.01. The provided content describes the issue as an improper control of the filename used in a PHP include/require statement, i.e., a PHP file inclusion flaw. Although labeled under PHP Remote File Inclusion terminology, the content specifically states that the vulnerability allows PHP Local File Inclusion (LFI). Available reporting further characterizes it as unauthenticated and notes LFI-to-RCE potential. Based on the supplied information, an attacker can influence a file path consumed by PHP include/require logic in the plugin, causing unintended local files to be included and interpreted in a security-relevant context.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows an unauthenticated attacker to perform local file inclusion against the vulnerable plugin. This can expose sensitive local files and, in environments where inclusion of attacker-controlled or otherwise writable local files is possible, may be leveraged to achieve remote code execution. The supplied context explicitly characterizes the issue as an unauthenticated LFI-to-RCE vulnerability and rates it critical (CVSS 9.6), indicating high risk to affected WordPress sites.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, disable the Hide My WP Ghost plugin to eliminate exposure. Restrict write access to directories that could be used to stage files for inclusion, harden PHP and WordPress file permissions, and reduce exposure of administrative and upload functionality that could facilitate LFI-to-RCE chaining. Web application firewall rules or virtual patching may help detect or block malicious path-manipulation attempts, but should be treated only as temporary risk reduction.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Update Hide My WP Ghost to a version newer than 5.4.01 once a vendor-fixed release is available. The vulnerable range provided is through and including 5.4.01, so affected deployments should be upgraded out of that range. If no patched version is immediately available, remove or disable the plugin until remediation can be completed.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
WppluginsHide My Wp Ghostapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

5 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

5 SOURCESView more in app
What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.
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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity4

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES
MITRE CVE
cve.org · CVE-2025-26909
NVD
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-26909
MITRE CWE · CWE-98
Improper Control of Filename for…
Third Party Advisory
patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/hide-my-wp/vulnerability/wordpress-hide-my-wp-ghost-plugin-5-4-01-local-file-inclusion-to-rce-vulnerability?_s_id=cve