CVE-2025-22287

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-22287 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) in the LTL Freight Quotes – FreightQuote Edition WordPress plugin by Enituretechnology. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or modification. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.3.11. As of this report, no official patch has been released, and no public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code is available. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating a low probability of exploitation in the wild currently, but the risk remains for targeted attacks.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability resides in a WordPress plugin ecosystem. WordPress plugins are a common attack vector due to their widespread use and frequent lack of rigorous security audits. The plugin is distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository and third-party marketplaces. Users should verify the integrity of their plugin files and monitor for updates from the vendor.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 5.4 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: Low (authenticated user)
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: Low
• Availability Impact: None

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability requires authentication, limiting the attack surface to users with existing access. However, the low complexity and network-based attack vector make it a viable target for privilege escalation or lateral movement within a compromised WordPress environment.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks in the plugin's AJAX handlers or REST API endpoints. The plugin likely fails to verify that the current user has the necessary capabilities (e.g., manage_options, edit_posts) before executing sensitive operations such as:

• Viewing or modifying freight quotes
• Accessing configuration settings
• Retrieving stored API keys or credentials

An attacker with a low-privileged account (e.g., subscriber or contributor) can send crafted HTTP requests to these unprotected endpoints, bypassing intended access controls. The exact endpoints are not publicly documented, but typical patterns include:

• /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=ltl_freight_quote_get_data
• /wp-json/ltl-freight-quotes/v1/config

The plugin's code likely uses current_user_can() checks inconsistently or not at all, allowing unauthorized actions.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, we can only infer the vulnerable pattern. A typical vulnerable code snippet might look like:

// Vulnerable: No capability check
add_action('wp_ajax_ltl_freight_quote_get_data', 'handle_get_data');
function handle_get_data() {
    // Process request without checking user permissions
    $data = get_option('ltl_freight_quote_config');
    wp_send_json_success($data);
}

A patched version would include:

// Patched: Capability check added
add_action('wp_ajax_ltl_freight_quote_get_data', 'handle_get_data');
function handle_get_data() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
    }
    $data = get_option('ltl_freight_quote_config');
    wp_send_json_success($data);
}

The fix requires adding current_user_can() checks to all AJAX and REST endpoints that handle sensitive data or operations.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A valid low-privileged WordPress account (e.g., subscriber)
• Network access to the WordPress instance
• Knowledge of the vulnerable endpoints (discoverable via fuzzing or code review)

Exploitation Steps:

1. Enumerate Endpoints: Use a tool like Burp Suite or wfuzz to discover unprotected AJAX actions:

   wfuzz -c -z file,/path/to/wordpress-actions.txt --hc 404 https://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=FUZZ
   

2. Craft Request: Send a crafted POST request to the vulnerable endpoint:

   POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
   Host: target.com
   Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
   Cookie: wordpress_logged_in_xxx=valid_session
   
   action=ltl_freight_quote_get_data&nonce=optional
   

3. Extract Data: The response may contain sensitive configuration data, API keys, or freight quotes.

Proof-of-Concept (Conceptual):

import requests

target = "https://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"
cookies = {"wordpress_logged_in_xxx": "valid_session"}
data = {"action": "ltl_freight_quote_get_data"}
response = requests.post(target, cookies=cookies, data=data)
print(response.text)

Blue Team (Detection & Hardening)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual AJAX requests from low-privileged users
• Alert on access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with unknown or suspicious action parameters
• Log all failed authorization attempts (HTTP 403)

Hardening:

• Apply the principle of least privilege to all WordPress users
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block requests to known vulnerable endpoints
• Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) to restrict script execution
• Regularly audit plugin code for missing capability checks

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Hashes (SHA256): (None available, but monitor for modified plugin files)
• Network Indicators:
  • POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action parameters like ltl_freight_quote_*
  • Unusual data exfiltration from WordPress admin panels
• Log Entries:
  • WordPress debug log entries showing wp_die or 403 for AJAX requests
  • Apache/Nginx access logs with POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php from low-privileged user agents

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_LTL_Freight_Quote_Vuln {
    meta:
        description = "Detects missing authorization in LTL Freight Quotes plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        cve = "CVE-2025-22287"
    strings:
        $vuln_func = "add_action('wp_ajax_" nocase
        $no_check = "current_user_can" nocase
    condition:
        #vuln_func > 0 and #no_check == 0
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-22287 - Missing Authorization in LTL Freight Quotes
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects exploitation attempts of missing authorization in LTL Freight Quotes plugin
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains|all:
            - 'action=ltl_freight_quote'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin usage
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (
    msg:"CVE-2025-22287 - LTL Freight Quotes Missing Authorization";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"POST"; http_method;
    content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri;
    content:"action=ltl_freight_quote"; http_client_body;
    classtype:attempted-recon;
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin if not critical to business operations.
2. Restrict access to the WordPress admin panel using IP whitelisting or VPN.
3. Audit user roles and remove unnecessary low-privileged accounts.

Long-term Fix:

• Apply the vendor patch once released (monitor Enituretechnology's update channel).
• Implement a custom capability check by modifying the plugin code (if you have development resources):

  add_action('wp_ajax_ltl_freight_quote_get_data', function() {
      if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
          wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
      }
      // Original handler code
  });
  

• Use a WordPress security plugin (e.g., Wordfence, Sucuri) to add virtual patching.

Valters IT
Securing WordPress ecosystems one CVE at a time.