CVE-2025-22770

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-22770 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Envo Multipurpose WordPress theme by EnvoThemes. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker 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 1.1.6. As of this report, no official patch has been released, and no public proof-of-concept (PoC) code is available. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating a low probability of active exploitation in the wild, but the risk remains due to the lack of a patch.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability resides in a WordPress theme, which is part of the broader WordPress ecosystem. Users who have installed the Envo Multipurpose theme from the official WordPress repository or via third-party marketplaces are affected. Since the theme is not a package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby) dependency, supply chain risks are limited to the theme's update mechanism. However, compromised or outdated themes can lead to site-wide compromise.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Base Score: 5.4 (Medium)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No user action required.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – The exploit cannot affect other components.
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (C:L) – Limited data exposure.
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L) – Limited data modification.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability is easy to exploit but has limited impact. However, the lack of a patch increases the risk for unmaintained sites.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from Missing Authorization (CWE-862) in the Envo Multipurpose theme. Specifically, the theme fails to properly enforce access controls on certain AJAX actions or REST API endpoints, allowing unauthenticated users to perform actions that should require administrative privileges. This could include modifying theme settings, accessing sensitive data, or triggering unintended functionality.

The flaw is likely located in the theme's functions.php or a custom plugin file where AJAX handlers are registered without proper capability checks. For example, a function like wp_ajax_nopriv_* might be used without verifying user roles, or a REST API route might lack permission callbacks.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

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

// Vulnerable: No capability check
add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_envo_save_settings', 'envo_save_settings');
function envo_save_settings() {
    update_option('envo_theme_options', $_POST['options']);
}

A patched version would include a capability check:

// Patched: Check for admin capability
add_action('wp_ajax_envo_save_settings', 'envo_save_settings');
function envo_save_settings() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized');
    }
    update_option('envo_theme_options', $_POST['options']);
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Since no public exploit exists, a red team would need to reverse-engineer the theme to identify vulnerable endpoints. Steps include:

1. Identify AJAX actions: Search the theme's source code for wp_ajax_nopriv_ or wp_ajax_ hooks.
2. Test endpoints: Send POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the action parameter.
3. Craft payload: For example, to modify theme options:

   curl -X POST http://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php \
     -d "action=envo_save_settings&options[logo_url]=http://evil.com/logo.png"
   

4. Verify impact: Check if the site's appearance or settings changed.

Blue Team (Defense)

• Monitor logs: Look for unusual POST requests to admin-ajax.php from unauthenticated users.
• Harden WordPress: Disable file editing, use Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules.
• Update theme: If a patch becomes available, apply immediately. Otherwise, consider replacing the theme.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with parameters like action=envo_* from unknown IPs.
• File: Modified theme option values in the wp_options table (e.g., envo_theme_options).
• Log: WordPress debug log entries showing unauthorized AJAX calls.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_22770_Envo_Multipurpose {
    meta:
        description = "Detects vulnerable Envo Multipurpose theme files"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-02-20"
        reference = "CVE-2025-22770"
    strings:
        $vuln_func = "wp_ajax_nopriv_" nocase
        $theme_name = "envo-multipurpose" nocase
    condition:
        $theme_name and $vuln_func
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-22770 - Missing Authorization in Envo Multipurpose
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects unauthorized AJAX requests to Envo Multipurpose endpoints
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        c-uri: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=envo_'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin actions (if authenticated)
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-22770 - Envo Multipurpose Missing Authorization"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=envo_"; http_client_body; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Disable the Envo Multipurpose theme and switch to a supported alternative.
2. Short-term: If the theme is critical, implement a WAF rule to block unauthenticated POST requests to admin-ajax.php with action parameters starting with envo_.
3. Long-term: Monitor the EnvoThemes website for a patch. Apply it as soon as it becomes available.
4. General: Regularly audit WordPress themes and plugins for vulnerabilities. Use a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri.

Valters IT