CVE intelligence and bounded remediation
CVE-2019-25217 — Siteground Speed Optimizer security vulnerability
The SiteGround Optimizer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass leading to Remote Code Execution and Local File Inclusion in versions up to, and including, 5.0.12 due to incorrect use of an access control attribute on the switch_php function called via the /switch-php REST API route. This allows attackers to include and execute arbitrary files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where images and other “safe” file types can be uploaded and included.
- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Published
- 2024-10-16
- CISA KEV
- Not currently listed
- Ecosystem
- php/wordpress
- Weaknesses
- CWE-862
Affected products
- siteground / speed_optimizer
Matched remediation archetype
Authorization bypass, IDOR, and cross-tenant access
This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.
Check exposure
- Map object and action authorization checks across API, UI, batch, import/export, and background-job paths.
- Identify tenant, ownership, role, and policy boundaries for affected resources and administrative operations.
- Use synthetic fixtures to compare intended access matrices without accessing another user's real data.
Remediate safely
- Enforce server-side authorization at each resource access and state transition using the authenticated principal and trusted tenant context.
- Scope data queries by tenant and ownership; treat client-supplied identifiers, roles, and policy claims as untrusted.
- Add deny-by-default policy tests for horizontal and vertical access across every affected transport.
Authoritative sources
Complete CVE record and remediation plan
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