CVE-2025-22677: Uix Shortcodes Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-22677 Overview

CVE-2025-22677 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the UIUX Lab Uix Shortcodes WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions of uix-shortcodes up to and including 2.0.3. Authenticated and unauthenticated actors can exploit incorrectly configured access control checks to trigger arbitrary shortcode execution on affected WordPress sites.

The vulnerability stems from missing capability or nonce validation on plugin endpoints. Attackers reach the endpoint over the network without prior authentication. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality and integrity of the WordPress installation.

Critical Impact
Attackers can invoke arbitrary shortcodes remotely due to missing authorization checks, potentially exposing site content and altering rendered output.

Affected Products

UIUX Lab Uix Shortcodes plugin for WordPress
Versions from n/a through 2.0.3 (inclusive)
WordPress sites running the uix-shortcodes plugin

Discovery Timeline

2025-02-03 - CVE-2025-22677 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22677

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-22677 is a Missing Authorization weakness classified under [CWE-862]. The Uix Shortcodes plugin exposes functionality that renders or executes shortcodes without verifying the caller's permissions. WordPress shortcodes can trigger server-side logic, embed remote content, or produce output using site data.

Because the plugin does not enforce access control on the affected path, an attacker can call the endpoint directly. The request executes shortcodes the caller should not be able to invoke. This class of flaw is common in WordPress plugins that expose AJAX or REST endpoints without current_user_can() or check_ajax_referer() calls.

The attack requires network access to the WordPress site. No user authentication is required, though the CVSS vector indicates high attack complexity. The scope is unchanged and impact is limited to low confidentiality and low integrity effects on the vulnerable site.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of authorization checks on plugin handlers that process shortcode rendering requests. The plugin registers callbacks that trust request parameters without validating the requester's role, capability, or nonce token. WordPress security best practices require both capability checks and nonce validation on state-changing or privileged endpoints.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the WordPress site targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoint. The request specifies a shortcode payload that the plugin renders server-side. Because authorization is missing, the server processes the shortcode and returns the result to the attacker. Details of the vulnerable endpoint are documented in the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report.

No verified public exploit code is available for this CVE. See the referenced advisory for technical detail on the vulnerable endpoint and payload construction.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22677

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected HTTP POST or GET requests to WordPress AJAX endpoints (/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php) referencing uix-shortcodes actions from unauthenticated sessions.
Web server access logs showing anonymous requests containing shortcode syntax such as [shortcode_name ...] in POST bodies or query strings.
Rendered content in server responses that includes data from privileged shortcodes not intended for public exposure.

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress plugin inventory and flag any installation of uix-shortcodes at version 2.0.3 or earlier.
Inspect webserver and WAF logs for requests to plugin endpoints originating from clients without a valid authenticated session cookie.
Correlate anomalous shortcode execution patterns with source IP reputation and request frequency to identify probing activity.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on WordPress AJAX and REST endpoints and forward logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and analysis.
Monitor for spikes in requests to admin-ajax.php with action parameters associated with the Uix Shortcodes plugin.
Alert on shortcode rendering responses that include unexpectedly large payloads or references to internal site data.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22677

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress instances running the Uix Shortcodes plugin at version 2.0.3 or earlier and prioritize them for remediation.
Update the uix-shortcodes plugin to a fixed version once released by the vendor, or deactivate and remove the plugin if no patch is available.
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and REST endpoints at the WAF layer for the affected plugin actions until a patch is applied.

Patch Information

At the time of writing, the Patchstack advisory lists all versions through 2.0.3 as vulnerable. Administrators should monitor the plugin's WordPress.org listing for a security release above 2.0.3 and apply it as soon as it becomes available.

Workarounds

Deactivate the Uix Shortcodes plugin until an updated version resolves the missing authorization check.
Deploy a WAF rule to block unauthenticated requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoint, filtering on the plugin's AJAX action parameter.
Apply the principle of least privilege to WordPress user accounts and restrict plugin management to trusted administrators.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) to block unauthenticated calls to the plugin endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" \
    "chain,deny,status:403,id:1002277,msg:'Block Uix Shortcodes unauthenticated access CVE-2025-22677'"
    SecRule ARGS:action "@rx uix[_-]shortcodes" \
        "chain"
        SecRule &REQUEST_COOKIES:wordpress_logged_in "@eq 0"