# CVE-2025-5396: Bears Backup <= 2.0.0 - Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution

> Unauthenticated attackers can execute arbitrary code on WordPress sites using the Bears Backup plugin due to missing capability checks and input validation.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mr9j-vgmq-cxhq

## What is CVE-2025-5396?

CVE-2025-5396 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Bearsthemes Bears Backup, published on 17 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-5396?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-5396?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-5396 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-5396 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-5396 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-5396 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-5396 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Bearsthemes Bears Backup, published on 17 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-5396 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Bearsthemes Bears Backup. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-5396/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-5396/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-5396
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-5396
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-5396

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-5396/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.