CVE-2025-28962

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-28962 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Advanced Google Universal Analytics WordPress plugin by stefanoai, affecting versions up to and including 1.0.3. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or manipulation of analytics settings. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium) and an EPSS score of 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood at this time. No public proof-of-concept or patch is currently available.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository. Users are advised to monitor for updates and consider disabling the plugin until a patch is released. The plugin is not available on NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby ecosystems.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.5 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: None
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: Low
• Availability Impact: None

The vulnerability is exploitable remotely without authentication, but the impact is limited to low confidentiality and integrity loss.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the Advanced Google Universal Analytics plugin for WordPress. The plugin fails to properly enforce authorization checks on certain administrative AJAX actions or REST API endpoints. This allows an unauthenticated attacker to:

• Access or modify plugin settings (e.g., Google Analytics tracking IDs, configuration options).
• Retrieve sensitive data such as API keys or tokens stored in the plugin's options.
• Potentially inject malicious JavaScript or redirect tracking data.

The root cause is the lack of current_user_can() checks or nonce verification on critical functions, leading to Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels (CWE-862).

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the vulnerable code pattern is described below. A patched version would include proper capability checks.

Vulnerable Code (example from plugin):

add_action('wp_ajax_save_analytics_settings', 'save_analytics_settings');
add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_save_analytics_settings', 'save_analytics_settings'); // Missing capability check

function save_analytics_settings() {
    update_option('advanced_google_analytics_tracking_id', $_POST['tracking_id']);
    echo 'Settings saved.';
    wp_die();
}

Patched Code (hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_save_analytics_settings', 'save_analytics_settings');
// Remove nopriv hook to require authentication

function save_analytics_settings() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
    }
    check_admin_referer('advanced_google_analytics_nonce');
    update_option('advanced_google_analytics_tracking_id', sanitize_text_field($_POST['tracking_id']));
    echo 'Settings saved.';
    wp_die();
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

1. Identify Target: Scan for WordPress sites using the plugin (e.g., via Shodan dorks or WPScan).
2. Enumerate Endpoints: Use Burp Suite or curl to discover unprotected AJAX actions (e.g., wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=save_analytics_settings).
3. Exploit: Send a crafted POST request without authentication:

   curl -X POST http://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php \
     -d "action=save_analytics_settings&tracking_id=UA-XXXXX-Y"
   

4. Verify: Check if the tracking ID is updated in the plugin settings.

Blue Team

1. Monitor Logs: Look for unusual AJAX requests to admin-ajax.php with unknown actions.
2. Detect Anomalies: Alert on changes to plugin options (e.g., advanced_google_analytics_tracking_id).
3. Harden: Disable the plugin or apply a virtual patch via WAF (e.g., block requests to admin-ajax.php with action=save_analytics_settings without authentication).

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=save_analytics_settings or similar.
• File: Modified plugin files in /wp-content/plugins/advanced-google-universal-analytics/.
• Database: Unexpected changes to wp_options table entries like advanced_google_analytics_tracking_id.
• Logs: WordPress debug log entries showing unauthorized AJAX calls.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_28962_Advanced_Google_Analytics {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts for CVE-2025-28962"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-28962"
    strings:
        $ajax_action = "save_analytics_settings"
        $plugin_path = "advanced-google-universal-analytics"
        $unauth_access = "wp_ajax_nopriv_"
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-28962 - Missing Authorization in Advanced Google Universal Analytics
id: 8a4b3c2d-1e5f-4a7b-9c8d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects unauthorized AJAX requests to the vulnerable plugin
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        c-uri|contains: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=save_analytics_settings'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin actions (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-28962 - Missing Authorization in Advanced Google Universal Analytics"; flow:to_server; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=save_analytics_settings"; http_client_body; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Disable the plugin until a patch is released.
2. Virtual Patching: Use a WAF to block unauthenticated requests to admin-ajax.php with suspicious actions.
3. Code Fix: Add current_user_can('manage_options') checks and nonce verification to all AJAX handlers.
4. Monitoring: Enable WordPress audit logging to track plugin option changes.
5. Update: Monitor the plugin repository for an official patch.

Report generated by Valters IT DevSecOps AI Assistant
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