CVE-2025-22629: iNET Webkit Authorization Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-22629 Overview

CVE-2025-22629 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] affecting the iNET Webkit WordPress plugin (inet-webkit). The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to access functionality that is not properly constrained by access control lists (ACLs). All versions of iNET Webkit up to and including 1.2.2 are affected. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation results in limited impact to integrity, with no direct impact to confidentiality or availability.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network attackers can invoke plugin functions that lack proper authorization checks, enabling unauthorized modification of plugin-controlled data on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

iNET Webkit plugin for WordPress
Versions from n/a through <= 1.2.2
WordPress installations with the inet-webkit plugin enabled

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-27 - CVE-2025-22629 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22629

Vulnerability Analysis

The iNET Webkit plugin exposes one or more actions or endpoints that fail to verify the caller's privileges before executing sensitive operations. This class of weakness, tracked as [CWE-862] Missing Authorization, occurs when application code performs an action without confirming that the requester holds the required capability or role. In the WordPress plugin ecosystem, this pattern typically manifests in AJAX handlers registered through wp_ajax_* and wp_ajax_nopriv_* hooks, in REST API routes that omit a permission_callback, or in admin-post handlers that skip current_user_can() checks.

Because the attack vector is Network and no authentication is required, remote attackers can invoke the affected functionality by sending crafted HTTP requests directly to the vulnerable endpoints. The EPSS score is 0.269% at the 18.795 percentile, indicating a low predicted exploitation likelihood in the near term.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of an authorization check between request reception and action execution within the inet-webkit plugin code paths. Developers registered functionality that trusts request parameters without invoking current_user_can(), capability checks, or a REST permission_callback. Nonce verification alone, if present, does not constitute authorization because nonces protect against CSRF, not privilege enforcement.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends an HTTP request to the affected plugin endpoint on a target WordPress site. Because no authentication is required, the request is processed with the same effect as if issued by an authorized user for the missing-check path. Exploitation does not require user interaction or elevated privileges, and payloads can be delivered directly against the site's admin-ajax.php, wp-json REST routes, or admin-post.php endpoints depending on where the plugin exposes the vulnerable handler.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code has been published for this CVE at the time of writing. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for advisory details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22629

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected POST or GET requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing inet-webkit action parameters from unauthenticated sessions
Requests to /wp-json/ REST routes registered by the inet-webkit plugin without valid authenticated session cookies
Unexplained modifications to plugin-managed content or settings within the WordPress database

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress installations and identify sites running the inet-webkit plugin at version 1.2.2 or earlier
Review web server access logs for anomalous request volumes targeting plugin-specific endpoints from unauthenticated clients
Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that alert on access to plugin action names originating from sessions without valid authentication cookies

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to track changes made through plugin actions and correlate with authenticated user activity
Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for cross-site correlation and anomaly detection
Alert on repeated 200-status responses from plugin AJAX or REST endpoints where no authenticated user session preceded the request

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22629

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress sites running the inet-webkit plugin and confirm the installed version
Update the iNET Webkit plugin to a version later than 1.2.2 once a patched release is available from the vendor
If no patched version is available, deactivate and remove the inet-webkit plugin until a fix is published

Patch Information

At the time of this article, the vulnerability affects iNET Webkit versions up to and including 1.2.2. Administrators should consult the Patchstack advisory and the plugin's official channel for the latest patched release, and apply it across all affected WordPress installations.

Workarounds

Deactivate the inet-webkit plugin until a patched release is installed
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and /wp-json/ endpoints associated with the plugin using WAF rules or server-level access controls
Enforce IP allowlisting for administrative WordPress endpoints where operationally feasible

bash

# Example WAF rule concept blocking unauthenticated access to the vulnerable plugin action
# Adjust the action parameter to match the specific endpoint identified in the advisory
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" \
  "chain,deny,status:403,id:1002229,msg:'Block unauthenticated inet-webkit action'"
SecRule ARGS:action "@rx ^inet[_-]webkit" \
  "chain"
SecRule &REQUEST_COOKIES:/wordpress_logged_in_/ "@eq 0"