CVE-2025-22298

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-22298 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Hive Support WordPress plugin, affecting versions through 1.1.6. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized access to support tickets, user data, or administrative functions. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-862: Missing Authorization and carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code has been released, and the vendor has not provided a patch. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood in the wild, but the risk remains for unpatched installations.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects the Hive Support WordPress plugin, which is distributed via the WordPress plugin repository. As a WordPress ecosystem component, it is not an NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby package. However, administrators should verify plugin integrity and monitor for supply chain risks if the plugin is obtained from third-party sources.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
• Base Score: 4.3 (Medium)
• Attack Vector (AV): Network – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged – Exploit does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality (C): Low – Limited information disclosure.
• Integrity (I): None – No data modification.
• Availability (A): None – No denial of service.

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability is easy to exploit but only leads to limited information disclosure. No public exploits exist, but the lack of a patch increases risk for unpatched sites.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the Hive Support plugin’s access control mechanisms. The plugin fails to properly validate user permissions when accessing certain REST API endpoints or administrative actions. Specifically, the hive-support plugin uses a flawed authorization check that does not enforce role-based access control (RBAC) for sensitive operations, such as viewing support tickets or modifying plugin settings.

Root Cause: The plugin relies on a nonce or capability check that can be bypassed due to incorrect implementation. For example, the wp_ajax_* hooks may not verify the manage_options capability, allowing any authenticated user (or even unauthenticated users if the check is missing) to perform actions intended for administrators.

Attack Vector: An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the WordPress site, targeting endpoints like /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with specific action parameters. Without proper authorization, the plugin processes the request and returns sensitive data.

Impact: Unauthorized disclosure of support ticket contents, user email addresses, or internal plugin configurations. This could lead to further social engineering attacks or data breaches.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the vulnerable code is present in all versions <= 1.1.6. The following is a hypothetical comparison based on common missing authorization patterns.

Vulnerable Code (example from class-hive-support-ajax.php):

add_action('wp_ajax_hive_get_ticket', 'hive_get_ticket_callback');
function hive_get_ticket_callback() {
    $ticket_id = $_POST['ticket_id'];
    // Missing capability check
    $ticket = get_post($ticket_id);
    wp_send_json($ticket);
}

Patched Code (hypothetical fix):

add_action('wp_ajax_hive_get_ticket', 'hive_get_ticket_callback');
function hive_get_ticket_callback() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
    }
    $ticket_id = $_POST['ticket_id'];
    $ticket = get_post($ticket_id);
    wp_send_json($ticket);
}

The fix adds a current_user_can('manage_options') check to ensure only administrators can access the endpoint.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site with Hive Support plugin version <= 1.1.6 installed and activated.
• No authentication required.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint by analyzing the plugin’s AJAX actions. Common actions include hive_get_ticket, hive_list_tickets, or hive_export_data.
2. Send a crafted POST request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the action parameter.
3. Example using curl:

   curl -X POST http://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php \
     -d "action=hive_get_ticket&ticket_id=1"
   

4. If successful, the response will contain ticket data in JSON format.

Note: No public exploit code is available. The above is a generic example based on the vulnerability description.

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

Detection:

• Monitor HTTP requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with suspicious action parameters (e.g., hive_*).
• Look for requests from unauthenticated users or users with low privileges attempting to access admin-only actions.
• Use the Sigma and Suricata rules provided in the Detection Engineering section.

Defense:

• Immediately disable or remove the Hive Support plugin until a patch is available.
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block requests to known vulnerable endpoints.
• Restrict access to /wp-admin/ using IP whitelisting or VPN.
• Apply the principle of least privilege to all WordPress users.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action parameter starting with hive_.
  • Unusual JSON responses containing ticket data or user information.
• File IOCs:
  • Presence of the Hive Support plugin directory at /wp-content/plugins/hive-support/.
  • Modified or suspicious log entries in /wp-content/debug.log showing unauthorized access attempts.
• Behavioral IOCs:
  • Unauthorized access to support tickets by non-admin users.
  • Unexpected data exfiltration from the WordPress database.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_22298_Hive_Support_Missing_Auth {
    meta:
        description = "Detects Hive Support plugin files with missing authorization vulnerability"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-22298"
    strings:
        $ajax_action = /add_action\s*\(\s*['\"]wp_ajax_hive_/
        $missing_cap = /current_user_can\s*\(/
    condition:
        $ajax_action and not $missing_cap
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-22298 Hive Support Missing Authorization Exploitation
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects exploitation attempts of missing authorization in Hive Support plugin
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=hive_'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin actions using Hive Support
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> $HOME_NET any (
    msg:"CVE-2025-22298 Hive Support Missing Authorization Exploitation";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"POST"; http_method;
    content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri;
    content:"action=hive_"; http_client_body;
    classtype:attempted-recon;
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
    reference:cve,2025-22298;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin: Deactivate and delete the Hive Support plugin from all WordPress installations until a patch is released.
2. Apply virtual patching: Use a WAF to block requests containing action=hive_ in POST bodies to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php.
3. Audit user roles: Ensure no unauthorized users have administrative privileges.

Long-term Fix:

• Monitor the vendor’s website or WordPress plugin repository for an official patch.
• Once patched, update to the latest version immediately.
• Implement regular vulnerability scanning for WordPress plugins.

Workaround:

• If the plugin is critical, consider replacing it with an alternative support plugin that has proper authorization checks.

Valters IT
DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert