CVE-2025-69363

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-69363 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Responsive Addons for Elementor by CyberChimps, affecting versions up to and including 2.0.8. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or modification. The vulnerability resides in the plugin's REST API or AJAX handlers, which fail to properly verify user capabilities before executing privileged actions. With a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium), this issue poses a significant risk to WordPress sites using the plugin, especially those with sensitive content or user roles. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or patch is currently available, making proactive mitigation critical.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress Plugin Directory. The plugin is not an NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby package, but it is part of the WordPress ecosystem. Administrators should monitor the plugin's update channel and consider disabling it until a patch is released.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – Vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality (C): Low (L) – Limited data exposure.
• Integrity (I): Low (L) – Limited data modification.
• Availability (A): None (N) – No impact on availability.

Threat Level: Medium. The low EPSS score (0.0%) suggests limited active exploitation, but the lack of a patch and public PoC increases risk over time.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks in the plugin's REST API endpoints or AJAX actions. The plugin likely registers custom routes (e.g., /wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/...) that perform sensitive operations like updating settings, exporting data, or modifying content. Without proper current_user_can() checks, an unauthenticated attacker can send crafted requests to these endpoints.

Root Cause: The plugin uses register_rest_route() or add_action('wp_ajax_...') without verifying user capabilities. For example:

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_responsive_addons_export', 'export_data');

The nopriv prefix allows unauthenticated access, and the callback function lacks a capability check.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker identifies the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/export).
2. Sends a GET/POST request with malicious parameters.
3. Server processes the request without authentication, returning sensitive data or performing unauthorized actions.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (<= 2.0.8):

add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_responsive_addons_export', 'responsive_addons_export_handler');
function responsive_addons_export_handler() {
    // No capability check
    $data = get_option('responsive_addons_settings');
    wp_send_json($data);
}

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

add_action('wp_ajax_responsive_addons_export', 'responsive_addons_export_handler');
function responsive_addons_export_handler() {
    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
        wp_die('Unauthorized', 403);
    }
    $data = get_option('responsive_addons_settings');
    wp_send_json($data);
}

The patch removes the nopriv prefix and adds a capability check.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites: A WordPress site with Responsive Addons for Elementor <= 2.0.8.

Exploit Steps:

1. Enumerate vulnerable endpoints:

   curl -s "http://target.com/wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/" | jq .
   

2. Attempt unauthorized access:

   curl -X POST "http://target.com/wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/export" -d "action=export"
   

3. If successful, extract sensitive data (e.g., plugin settings, user data).

Lab Setup:

• Use Docker with WordPress and the vulnerable plugin.
• Install plugin version 2.0.8 from a local archive.
• Test with curl or Burp Suite.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for requests to /wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/ from unauthenticated IPs.
• Check logs for wp_ajax_nopriv_responsive_addons_* actions.
• Use WAF rules to block access to unknown REST endpoints.

Mitigation:

• Disable the plugin until a patch is available.
• Add custom capability checks via a mu-plugin:

  add_filter('rest_pre_dispatch', function($result, $server, $request) {
      if (strpos($request->get_route(), 'responsive-addons') !== false) {
          if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
              return new WP_Error('rest_forbidden', 'Unauthorized', ['status' => 403]);
          }
      }
      return $result;
  }, 10, 3);
  

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network:
  • HTTP requests to /wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/export or similar endpoints.
  • POST data containing action=export or action=import.
• File System:
  • Modified plugin files in /wp-content/plugins/responsive-addons-for-elementor/.
  • Unexpected log entries in /wp-content/debug.log.
• Logs:
  • WordPress debug log entries showing wp_ajax_nopriv_responsive_addons_* calls.
  • Web server access logs with 200 responses to unknown REST routes.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_CVE_2025_69363_Exploit {
    meta:
        description = "Detects exploitation attempts for CVE-2025-69363 in WordPress"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-69363"
    strings:
        $endpoint = "/wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/"
        $action = "action=export"
        $nopriv = "wp_ajax_nopriv_responsive_addons"
    condition:
        any of ($endpoint, $action, $nopriv)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-69363 Exploitation Attempt
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests targeting vulnerable Responsive Addons for Elementor endpoints
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query|contains: '/wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate admin actions (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (
    msg:"CVE-2025-69363 - Missing Authorization in Responsive Addons for Elementor";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"/wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/"; http_uri;
    content:"POST"; http_method;
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
    reference:cve,2025-69363;
    classtype:attempted-recon;
    priority:2;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin if not critical: wp plugin deactivate responsive-addons-for-elementor
2. Add WAF rules to block requests to /wp-json/responsive-addons/v1/ from unauthenticated users.
3. Monitor logs for exploitation attempts.

Long-term Fix:

• Apply a patch from the vendor when available.
• Implement custom capability checks as shown in the Blue Team section.
• Regularly update all WordPress plugins.

Workaround:

• Use a security plugin (e.g., Wordfence) to add virtual patching for unknown REST endpoints.

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