CVE-2025-57894

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-57894 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress plugin WPPizza by ollybach. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized actions within the plugin. The vulnerability affects all versions of WPPizza from n/a through 3.19.8. As of this report, no official patch has been released, and no public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code is available. The CVSS score is 4.3 (Medium), and the EPSS probability is 0.0%, indicating low active exploitation in the wild.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability resides in a WordPress plugin ecosystem. WordPress plugins are distributed via the official WordPress Plugin Directory or third-party marketplaces. Users should verify the integrity of their plugin files by comparing checksums with the official repository. Since no patch is available, the supply chain risk is elevated; users must rely on manual mitigation or plugin deactivation.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
• Base Score: 4.3 (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: None (C:N) – No data disclosure.
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L) – Unauthorized modification of data is possible.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: Medium. The lack of a patch and the low EPSS score suggest limited active exploitation, but the ease of exploitation (no authentication) makes it a potential target for automated scanning.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from Missing Authorization (CWE-862) in the WPPizza plugin. The plugin likely exposes certain REST API endpoints or AJAX actions that fail to verify user permissions before processing requests. An attacker can send crafted HTTP requests to these endpoints to perform actions such as modifying plugin settings, accessing order data, or triggering unintended operations.

Root Cause: The plugin does not implement proper capability checks (e.g., current_user_can()) on sensitive functions. This allows any unauthenticated user to invoke administrative actions.

Attack Vector: The attacker sends a specially crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable endpoint. For example, a POST request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with an action parameter that triggers a function without authorization checks.

Impact: An attacker could:

• Modify plugin configuration (e.g., payment settings, API keys).
• Access or manipulate order data.
• Disable security features within the plugin.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, we can only hypothesize the vulnerable code pattern. The following is a representative example of the flaw and a potential fix.

Vulnerable Code (PHP):

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_wppizza_update_settings', 'wppizza_update_settings');
function wppizza_update_settings() {
    // No capability check
    update_option('wppizza_settings', $_POST['settings']);
    wp_send_json_success();
}

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_wppizza_update_settings', 'wppizza_update_settings');
function wppizza_update_settings() {
    // Proper authorization check
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
    }
    update_option('wppizza_settings', $_POST['settings']);
    wp_send_json_success();
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site with WPPizza plugin version <= 3.19.8.
• Network access to the target.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint. Common patterns include /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with actions like wppizza_*.
2. Send a crafted HTTP request using curl:

   curl -X POST http://target.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php \
     -d "action=wppizza_update_settings&settings[payment_gateway]=malicious"
   

3. Verify the attack by checking if the settings were modified (e.g., by accessing the plugin's settings page).

Note: No public exploit code is available; this is a conceptual demonstration.

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with actions containing wppizza.
• Look for unauthorized changes to WordPress options (e.g., wppizza_settings).

Defense:

• Deactivate the WPPizza plugin until a patch is released.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to vulnerable endpoints from unauthenticated users.
• Use a WordPress security plugin to enforce capability checks.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=wppizza_* parameters.
  • Unusual wppizza_settings option values in the WordPress database.
• File IOCs:
  • Modified plugin files (e.g., wp-content/plugins/wppizza/).
• Log IOCs:
  • WordPress debug logs showing unauthorized access attempts to admin-ajax.php.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_57894_WPPizza_Missing_Auth {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2025-57894 in WPPizza plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-57894"
    strings:
        $action = "wppizza_" ascii wide nocase
        $ajax = "admin-ajax.php" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        $ajax and $action
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-57894 - WPPizza Missing Authorization Exploitation
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php with WPPizza actions
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=wppizza_'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin actions (requires authentication)
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-57894 WPPizza Missing Authorization Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=wppizza_"; http_client_body; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Deactivate the WPPizza plugin until an official patch is released.
2. Implement a WAF rule to block unauthenticated requests to admin-ajax.php with wppizza_ actions.
3. Review WordPress user roles and ensure no unauthorized users have administrative capabilities.

Long-Term Fix:

• Monitor the plugin's official repository for a patched version (e.g., > 3.19.8).
• Apply the patch as soon as it becomes available.
• Consider replacing the plugin with an alternative that has active security maintenance.

Valters IT Signature: This report was generated by Valters IT DevSecOps AI. For questions, contact security@valters-it.com.