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CVE-2025-5396 - Bears Backup Plugin

CVE-2025-5396

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.

CVE-2025-5396

CRITICAL CVSS 9.8 Published 2025-07-17 Updated 2025-07-17
AI Risk Critical (100/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P1 Immediate
Severity Band CRITICAL
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 2
AI Risk Engine Critical (100/100)
Exploitability Very High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2025-07-17 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2025-07-17 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-09 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 7 days ago

AI enriched 7 days ago (2026-04-09 06:53 UTC)

Technical Summary

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…

Potential Impact

Severity is CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as Very High based on remote code execution potential, low-bar exploit prerequisites.

Primary risk drivers: remote code execution potential, low-bar exploit prerequisites

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Bears Backup PLUGIN · bears-backup Affected range not specified Fixed version not specified
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