CVE-2025-0749: Homey WordPress Theme Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-0749 Overview

The Homey theme for WordPress contains an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting versions up to, and including, 2.4.3. This critical flaw stems from improper validation of the verification_id parameter in the dashboard user profile page. When the verification_id value is set to empty, the theme fails to perform a necessary non-empty check, allowing unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication controls and gain unauthorized access to user accounts.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication and log in as the first verified user on the WordPress site, potentially gaining administrative access and full control over the affected website.

Affected Products

• Homey WordPress Theme versions up to and including 2.4.3
• WordPress sites running vulnerable Homey theme installations
• FaveThemes Homey theme deployments

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-07 - CVE-2025-0749 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-0749

Vulnerability Analysis

This authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel) occurs due to insufficient validation in the user profile authentication mechanism. The core issue lies in the dashboard component where the verification_id parameter is expected to authenticate user sessions. When this value is empty or null, the validation logic fails to reject the request, creating an exploitable condition that allows attackers to impersonate legitimate users.

The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the authentication flow itself rather than requiring any existing credentials. An attacker exploiting this flaw would gain access to the first verified user account on the system, which in many WordPress deployments is the administrator account created during initial setup.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing validation check for the verification_id parameter in the dashboard user profile functionality. The code fails to verify that the verification_id is non-empty before proceeding with authentication, allowing an attacker to submit an empty or null value and bypass the intended verification process entirely.

Attack Vector

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without any authentication or user interaction. An attacker would craft a malicious request to the WordPress dashboard endpoint with an empty verification_id parameter. The vulnerable code path then allows the attacker to authenticate as the first verified user in the system.

The exploitation requires the attacker to identify a WordPress site running a vulnerable version of the Homey theme and submit a specifically crafted request to the user profile endpoint. Since no privileges are required and the attack complexity is moderate, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to affected installations.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-0749

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual login events for administrator or first-verified user accounts without corresponding legitimate access
• Authentication events originating from unexpected IP addresses or geographic locations
• Dashboard access requests containing empty or malformed verification_id parameters
• Anomalous activity patterns on user accounts that have not logged in recently

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress authentication logs for successful logins without valid session initialization
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect requests with empty authentication parameters
• Review access logs for patterns indicating automated exploitation attempts against the dashboard endpoint
• Deploy intrusion detection signatures targeting empty verification_id parameter submissions

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for WordPress authentication events and user profile access
• Configure alerting for administrative account logins from new devices or IP addresses
• Monitor for rapid successive authentication attempts that may indicate exploitation scanning
• Implement real-time log analysis to detect authentication anomalies

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-0749

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Homey theme to the latest patched version immediately
• Audit user accounts for unauthorized access or suspicious activity
• Review and reset passwords for all user accounts, particularly administrative users
• Implement additional authentication controls such as two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Review WordPress access logs for evidence of exploitation

Patch Information

FaveThemes has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Administrators should update the Homey theme to a version newer than 2.4.3. For detailed update information and changelog, refer to the FaveThemes Changelog. Additional vulnerability details are available in the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to WordPress dashboard endpoints using IP allowlisting
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with rules to block requests containing empty authentication parameters
• Temporarily disable user registration and profile editing functionality until patching is complete
• Place the WordPress site behind an authentication proxy for an additional security layer

# Apache .htaccess configuration to restrict dashboard access
<Files "wp-login.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from YOUR_TRUSTED_IP
</Files>

# Additional protection for wp-admin
<Directory /var/www/html/wp-admin>
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from YOUR_TRUSTED_IP
</Directory>