CVE-2025-15525: WordPress Ajax Load More Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-15525 Overview

The Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load plugin for WordPress contains an authorization bypass vulnerability that allows unauthorized access to sensitive post data. The vulnerability exists in the parse_custom_args() function across all versions up to and including 7.8.1. Due to incorrect authorization checks, unauthenticated attackers can exploit this flaw to expose the titles and excerpts of private, draft, pending, scheduled, and trashed posts.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can access confidential post content including private drafts, scheduled publications, and trashed items without any authentication, potentially exposing sensitive information before official publication.

Affected Products

• Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 7.8.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-31 - CVE-2025-15525 published to NVD
• 2026-02-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-15525

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), a broken access control flaw where the application fails to properly verify that a user has the necessary permissions to access protected resources. In this case, the parse_custom_args() function in the Ajax Load More plugin does not adequately validate authorization before processing requests that return post data.

The vulnerability allows remote attackers to craft requests that bypass the plugin's intended access controls. When exploited, the function returns post information regardless of the post's visibility status, effectively ignoring WordPress's native privacy settings for posts marked as private, draft, pending, scheduled, or trashed.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in the parse_custom_args() function located in the class-alm-queryargs.php file at line 500. The function processes user-supplied query arguments without performing adequate authorization checks to verify whether the requesting user has permission to view non-public posts. This allows the function to return post titles and excerpts that should be restricted to authenticated users with appropriate capabilities.

Attack Vector

The attack can be performed remotely over the network without any authentication or user interaction. An attacker can send specially crafted AJAX requests to the WordPress site targeting the Ajax Load More plugin endpoints. By manipulating the query arguments passed to the parse_custom_args() function, attackers can request post data that includes posts with restricted visibility statuses.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it exposes content that site administrators may consider confidential—such as draft posts containing unreleased announcements, private posts with sensitive information, or scheduled posts that were not intended for immediate publication.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-15525

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual AJAX requests targeting Ajax Load More plugin endpoints with modified query parameters
• Server logs showing repeated requests to AJAX handlers from unauthenticated sources
• Requests containing post status parameters attempting to access non-public content
• Anomalous traffic patterns to WordPress AJAX endpoints from suspicious IP addresses

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress AJAX request logs for suspicious parse_custom_args function calls
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block requests attempting to access restricted post statuses
• Review access logs for patterns indicating enumeration of private, draft, or trashed posts
• Deploy endpoint detection to identify unusual plugin-related traffic patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for WordPress AJAX handlers and review logs regularly
• Configure alerts for access attempts to post content with restricted visibility statuses
• Implement rate limiting on AJAX endpoints to prevent automated enumeration attacks
• Monitor for reconnaissance activity targeting WordPress plugin endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-15525

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Ajax Load More plugin to a version newer than 7.8.1 that addresses this vulnerability
• Review server logs for any evidence of exploitation attempts
• Audit sensitive post content that may have been exposed through this vulnerability
• Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if an immediate update is not available

Patch Information

Site administrators should update the Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load plugin to the latest available version that addresses this authorization bypass vulnerability. Check the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for detailed patching information and the official WordPress plugin repository for the latest secure version.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to WordPress AJAX endpoints through server-level access controls until patching is possible
• Implement additional authentication layers at the web server level for sensitive plugin endpoints
• Use a Web Application Firewall to filter requests targeting the vulnerable function
• Move highly sensitive content to a separate WordPress instance or content management system temporarily

# Example: Block suspicious AJAX requests at the web server level (Apache)
# Add to .htaccess file as a temporary mitigation measure
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} admin-ajax\.php [NC]
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} action=alm [NC]
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE} !wordpress_logged_in [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>