CVE-2025-22671

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-22671 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Disable Elementor Editor Translation by Leap13, affecting versions up to and including 1.0.2. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized actions within the WordPress ecosystem. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium), indicating a moderate risk due to low attack complexity and no required privileges. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code has been identified at this time, and the patch status remains unknown.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository. Users are advised to monitor for updates from the vendor (Leap13) and apply patches as soon as they become available. Since this is a WordPress plugin, the risk extends to any site using the affected version, potentially impacting thousands of installations.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 4.3 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions are required for exploitation.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – No authentication is needed.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No user action is required.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – The impact is confined to the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality Impact: None (C:N) – No data exposure.
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L) – Limited modification of data or functionality.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability is easy to exploit but has limited impact, primarily affecting the integrity of the plugin's functionality.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from a Missing Authorization check in the disable-elementor-editor-translation plugin. The plugin likely fails to verify user permissions before executing certain actions, such as disabling or modifying translation features for the Elementor page builder. This allows an unauthenticated attacker to send crafted HTTP requests to the WordPress site, bypassing access controls.

The affected functionality is related to the plugin's settings or AJAX handlers, which should require administrative privileges but are exposed to unauthenticated users. The exact endpoint or parameter is not publicly documented, but the vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization).

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch details are available, the following is a hypothetical comparison based on common authorization flaws:

Vulnerable Code (Hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_disable_elementor_translation', 'handle_disable_translation');
function handle_disable_translation() {
    // No permission check
    update_option('disable_elementor_translation', $_POST['value']);
}

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_disable_elementor_translation', 'handle_disable_translation');
function handle_disable_translation() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized');
    }
    update_option('disable_elementor_translation', sanitize_text_field($_POST['value']));
}

The patched version adds a capability check (current_user_can('manage_options')) and restricts the AJAX action to authenticated users only (wp_ajax_ instead of wp_ajax_nopriv_).

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site with the vulnerable plugin installed (version <= 1.0.2).
• Network access to the target.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint by analyzing the plugin's source code or using a web application scanner.
2. Send a crafted HTTP request to the endpoint without authentication:

   POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
   Host: target-site.com
   Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
   
   action=disable_elementor_translation&value=1
   

3. Verify the action was performed (e.g., translation features disabled).

Note: No public exploit code is available; this is a hypothetical example.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual AJAX requests to admin-ajax.php with actions related to the plugin (e.g., disable_elementor_translation).
• Look for requests from unauthenticated users to administrative endpoints.

Mitigation:

• Update the plugin to the latest version if a patch becomes available.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block unauthenticated access to plugin-specific AJAX actions.
• Disable the plugin if no patch is available and it is not critical.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=disable_elementor_translation from unauthenticated sources.
  • Unusual patterns in WordPress debug logs indicating failed authorization attempts.

• File IOCs:

  • Modified options in the wp_options table related to disable_elementor_translation.
  • Presence of unexpected files in the /wp-content/plugins/disable-elementor-editor-translation/ directory.

• Log IOCs:

  • WordPress error logs showing wp_ajax_nopriv_ hooks being triggered for administrative actions.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_CVE_2025_22671_Exploit {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts for CVE-2025-22671 in WordPress"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-22671"
    strings:
        $ajax_action = "disable_elementor_translation"
        $wp_ajax = "admin-ajax.php"
    condition:
        $ajax_action and $wp_ajax
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-22671 Exploitation Attempt
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects unauthenticated AJAX requests targeting the Disable Elementor Editor Translation plugin
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=disable_elementor_translation'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administrative actions (if plugin is misconfigured)
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-22671 - Unauthenticated AJAX Exploit Attempt"; flow:to_server; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=disable_elementor_translation"; http_client_body; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate Actions:

   • Disable the disable-elementor-editor-translation plugin if it is not essential.
   • Monitor the vendor's website (Leap13) for a security patch.
   • Implement a WAF rule to block unauthenticated access to plugin-specific AJAX actions.

2. Long-term Measures:

   • Regularly update all WordPress plugins and themes.
   • Conduct security audits of plugins for missing authorization checks.
   • Use a WordPress security plugin to monitor for unauthorized changes.

3. Workarounds:

   • If the plugin is required, restrict access to admin-ajax.php using .htaccess rules or a firewall.

Report generated by Valters IT DevSecOps & CTI Division