CVE-2025-69300

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-69300 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Premium Addons for Elementor WordPress plugin, developed by Leap13. 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 of the plugin from n/a through 4.11.63. As a WordPress plugin vulnerability, it is part of the broader WordPress ecosystem and does not implicate server software like Apache or Nginx.

The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium) and an EPSS score of 0.0%, indicating a low probability of exploitation in the wild at this time. However, the lack of a confirmed patch and the potential for privilege escalation make this a significant concern for WordPress site administrators.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is specific to the Premium Addons for Elementor WordPress plugin, which is distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository and third-party marketplaces. The supply chain risk is moderate, as the plugin is widely used for enhancing Elementor page builder functionality. Administrators should verify the integrity of plugin files and monitor for updates from the vendor.

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 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: Low (C:L) – Limited unauthorized data access.
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L) – Limited unauthorized modification.
• Availability Impact: None (A:N) – No denial of service.

Threat Level: Medium. The low EPSS score suggests limited active exploitation, but the ease of exploitation and lack of patch make it a potential target for automated scanning.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the Premium Addons for Elementor plugin, specifically in its access control mechanisms. The plugin fails to properly validate user permissions when processing certain AJAX requests or REST API endpoints. This allows an unauthenticated attacker to perform actions that should require administrative or editor-level privileges.

The core issue is a Missing Authorization check (CWE-862) in functions that handle sensitive operations, such as saving plugin settings, modifying widget configurations, or accessing user data. The plugin relies on incorrect access control levels, meaning it may check for a capability that is too broad or not enforced at all.

Attack Vector:

1. An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with a specific action).
2. The plugin processes the request without verifying the user's role or capabilities.
3. The attacker can then read or modify plugin settings, potentially leading to further compromise.

Impact:

• Unauthorized modification of plugin settings (e.g., enabling malicious widgets).
• Potential data leakage if the plugin exposes sensitive information.
• Chained with other vulnerabilities, could lead to privilege escalation or remote code execution.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no official patch is available, the following is a hypothetical comparison based on common fixes for missing authorization vulnerabilities.

Vulnerable Code (Example):

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_premium_addons_save_settings', 'premium_addons_save_settings');
function premium_addons_save_settings() {
    // No capability check
    update_option('premium_addons_settings', $_POST['settings']);
    wp_send_json_success();
}

Patched Code (Example):

add_action('wp_ajax_premium_addons_save_settings', 'premium_addons_save_settings');
function premium_addons_save_settings() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
    }
    update_option('premium_addons_settings', $_POST['settings']);
    wp_send_json_success();
}

The patched version removes the nopriv (no privilege) hook and adds a capability check using current_user_can('manage_options'), ensuring only administrators can modify settings.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site with Premium Addons for Elementor version <= 4.11.63 installed and activated.
• Network access to the target.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify vulnerable endpoints by analyzing the plugin's AJAX actions (e.g., using a tool like Burp Suite or WPScan).
2. Send a crafted POST request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the vulnerable action and payload.
3. Example request using curl:

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

4. Verify the attack by checking if the settings were modified (e.g., accessing a page that uses the plugin).

Note: No public exploit code is available, so this is a generic example.

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual AJAX requests to admin-ajax.php with actions related to Premium Addons.
• Look for requests from unauthenticated users to endpoints that should require authentication.
• Use the detection rules provided in the Detection Engineering section.

Defense:

• Immediately update the plugin if a patch becomes available.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to vulnerable endpoints from unauthenticated users.
• Restrict access to /wp-admin/ directory using IP whitelisting or .htaccess rules.
• Regularly audit plugin permissions and capabilities.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=premium_addons_* parameters from unauthenticated sources.
  • Unusual settings parameters in POST data (e.g., settings[malicious]=true).
• File IOCs:
  • Modified plugin files in /wp-content/plugins/premium-addons-for-elementor/ (check file integrity).
  • Unexpected entries in the wp_options table (e.g., premium_addons_settings with suspicious values).
• Log IOCs:
  • WordPress debug log entries showing unauthorized access attempts to AJAX actions.
  • Web server access logs with 200 responses to admin-ajax.php from unauthenticated IPs.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_CVE_2025_69300_Premium_Addons_Elementor {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts for CVE-2025-69300 in Premium Addons for Elementor"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-69300"
    strings:
        $ajax_action = "premium_addons_save_settings" nocase
        $settings_param = "settings[" nocase
        $wp_ajax = "admin-ajax.php" nocase
    condition:
        all of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-69300 - Missing Authorization in Premium Addons for Elementor
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects unauthenticated AJAX requests to Premium Addons for Elementor vulnerable endpoints
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=premium_addons_'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin actions (if authenticated)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-69300 - Premium Addons for Elementor Missing Authorization Exploit"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=premium_addons_"; http_client_body; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin if it is not critical to operations until a patch is released.
2. Apply virtual patching using a WAF to block unauthenticated requests to vulnerable endpoints.
3. Monitor logs for exploitation attempts and review user accounts for unauthorized changes.

Long-term Fix:

• The vendor (Leap13) must release a patched version that includes proper capability checks (e.g., current_user_can('manage_options')).
• Once a patch is available, update to the latest version immediately.
• Implement a plugin update policy to ensure timely patching.

Workaround:

• Add the following code to the theme's functions.php file to block unauthenticated access to vulnerable actions:

  add_action('init', function() {
      if (defined('DOING_AJAX') && DOING_AJAX && !is_user_logged_in()) {
          $blocked_actions = array('premium_addons_save_settings', 'premium_addons_other_action');
          if (isset($_POST['action']) && in_array($_POST['action'], $blocked_actions)) {
              wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
          }
      }
  });
  

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