• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sucuri Blog

Website Security News

  • Products
    • Website Security Platform
    • Website Firewall (WAF)
    • Enterprise Website Security
    • Multisite Solutions
  • Features
    • Detection
    • Protection
    • Performance
    • Response
    • Backups
  • Partners
    • Agency Solutions
    • Partners
    • Referral Program
    • Ecommerce
  • Resources
    • Guides
    • Webinars
    • Infographics
    • SiteCheck
    • Reports
    • Email Courses
  • Immediate Help
  • Login
Labs Note

WordPress Theme Mailing Script being exploited in the wild

October 31, 2016Rodrigo Escobar

0
SHARES
FacebookTwitterSubscribe

A few weeks ago, we posted a lab notes describing a good theme file being exploited by attackers to send mass-mailing SPAM (http://labs.sucuri.net/?note=2016/08/15 0:00). Upon further investigation, we identified that attackers have been exploiting this issue for quite awhile and apparently under the radar.

The lack of security checks in that particular file allows the attackers to send as many emails as they would like to, depending on server’s configurations/limitations. To make matters worse, the code had been implemented throughout different themes developed by the same company.

The issue is located within the file ‘functions/theme-mail.php’ and can be found in older versions of the following premium themes:

bretheon, doover, fingerprints, kora, lawcenter_two,mfl, pindol, tisson, almet, caffeine, nollie, limuso

The consequences of using those old versions vary – from having your website suspended by the hosting company, or getting the mail server blacklisted.

We didn’t have access to all versions of those themes to determine when a patch had been applied, but if you identify the same snippet as we have in the labs sucuri notes, we highly recommend adding the following code after your opening php tags to prevent direct access to the file and further exploitation:

if ( basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) == basename(__FILE__) ){die('Access Denied');}

If you’re a customer on the Sucuri Firewall you are already patched via our virtual patching engine.

0
SHARES
FacebookTwitterSubscribe

Categories: Sucuri LabsTags: Labs Note

About Rodrigo Escobar

Rodrigo Escobar is Sucuri's Sr. Malware Research Manager who joined the company in 2012. Rodrigo's main responsibilities include the coordination of malware analysts and research groups, and deployment of effective remediation solutions. His professional experience covers more than eight years in website remediation and malware analysis. When Rodrigo isn't investigating cyber threats and looking for solutions to prevent them, you might find him at the computer, reading assembly and learning new skills. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Socialize With Sucuri

We're actively engaged across multiple platforms. Follow us and let's connect!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Join Over 20,000 Subscribers!

Footer

Products

  • Website Firewall
  • Website AntiVirus
  • Website Backups
  • WordPress Security
  • Enterprise Services

Solutions

  • DDos Protection
  • Malware Detection
  • Malware Removal
  • Malware Prevention
  • Blacklist Removal

Support

  • Blog
  • Knowledge Base
  • SiteCheck
  • Research Labs
  • FAQ

Company

  • About
  • Media
  • Events
  • Employment
  • Contact
  • Testimonials
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

Customer Login

Sucuri Home

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Frequently Asked Questions

© 2021 Sucuri Inc. All rights reserved

Sucuri Cookie Policy
See our policy>>

Our website uses cookies, which help us to improve our site and enables us to deliver the best possible service and customer experience.