CVE-2025-10249: Slider Revolution Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-10249 Overview

CVE-2025-10249 affects the Slider Revolution plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 6.7.37. The plugin fails to enforce capability checks on several functions, allowing authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher to perform privileged actions. Attackers can install and activate plugin add-ons, create sliders, and download arbitrary files from the server. The flaw is categorized under [CWE-23] (Relative Path Traversal) and stems from broken access control on sensitive endpoints.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with Contributor privileges can download arbitrary files and install add-ons, exposing sensitive server data and expanding the plugin attack surface.

Affected Products

Slider Revolution plugin for WordPress, all versions up to and including 6.7.37

Discovery Timeline

2025-10-09 - CVE-2025-10249 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-10249

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists because several functions in Slider Revolution do not verify the calling user's capabilities before executing sensitive operations. WordPress plugins typically enforce access control through current_user_can() checks tied to specific capabilities such as manage_options or edit_plugins. Slider Revolution omits these checks on functions that install add-ons, create slider content, and stream files from the server. Any authenticated user with at least Contributor role can invoke these endpoints through standard AJAX or admin-post requests.

The arbitrary file download component maps to CWE-23, indicating that supplied path input is not properly constrained. This allows an attacker to traverse relative paths and retrieve files outside the intended plugin directory, potentially including wp-config.php or other configuration files containing database credentials and authentication salts.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing authorization enforcement on plugin handlers. Developers did not gate privileged actions behind capability checks, and file path parameters were not validated against a canonical base directory. The combination of broken access control and unrestricted path input produces both unauthorized action execution and information disclosure.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an authenticated session with Contributor privileges or higher. Contributor accounts are commonly available on multi-author WordPress sites, membership platforms, and sites with open registration. The attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints. No user interaction and no elevated privileges beyond Contributor are required. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis for endpoint-level detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-10249

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected slider entries or new plugin add-ons appearing in the WordPress admin without a corresponding administrator action.
HTTP POST requests to Slider Revolution AJAX actions originating from Contributor or Author accounts.
Web server access logs showing requests with ../ sequences or absolute path parameters targeting plugin download handlers.

Detection Strategies

Audit WordPress access logs for requests to admin-ajax.php referencing Slider Revolution action names paired with low-privilege user sessions.
Compare installed plugin add-ons and slider content against a known-good baseline to identify unauthorized additions.
Monitor outbound file responses for sensitive file names such as wp-config.php, .htaccess, or backup archives.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to capture role-based activity on plugin endpoints.
Forward web server and PHP logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation across authentication and file access events.
Alert on any file download response containing WordPress configuration constants such as DB_PASSWORD or AUTH_KEY.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-10249

Immediate Actions Required

Update Slider Revolution to the version listed in the Slider Revolution Changelog that resolves CVE-2025-10249.
Review all Contributor, Author, and Editor accounts and disable any that are inactive or unrecognized.
Rotate database credentials and WordPress salts in wp-config.php if arbitrary file download is suspected.

Patch Information

The plugin vendor addresses the missing capability checks in a release after 6.7.37. Administrators should consult the Slider Revolution Changelog for the specific fixed version and apply it through the WordPress plugin updater or by replacing the plugin directory manually.

Workarounds

Temporarily restrict Contributor and Author registration until the patch is applied.
Deploy a web application firewall rule to block requests to Slider Revolution AJAX actions from non-administrator sessions.
Remove or deactivate Slider Revolution on sites where the plugin is not actively used.

bash

# Configuration example: WP-CLI update command
wp plugin update revslider --version=<fixed-version>
wp plugin list --name=revslider --fields=name,status,version