CVE-2025-22698 Overview
CVE-2025-22698 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Ability, Inc Accessibility Suite plugin for WordPress, distributed under the online-accessibility slug. The flaw stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to invoke plugin functionality they should not be able to reach. The issue affects all versions up to and including 4.18. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low-level WordPress accounts can bypass access controls in the Accessibility Suite plugin, resulting in unauthorized read, modification, and availability impact on site functionality controlled by the plugin.
Affected Products
- Ability, Inc Accessibility Suite (online-accessibility) WordPress plugin, versions up to and including 4.18
- WordPress sites running the plugin with subscriber-or-higher accounts enabled
- Any deployment permitting user registration where the vulnerable plugin is active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-14 - CVE-2025-22698 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-22698
Vulnerability Analysis
The Accessibility Suite plugin exposes plugin endpoints without enforcing appropriate capability or nonce checks. Authenticated users with minimal WordPress roles can call these endpoints and trigger actions that were intended for administrators. The result is a broken access control condition affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of plugin-managed data and settings.
Missing authorization vulnerabilities of this kind typically occur when a plugin registers AJAX or REST handlers using hooks such as wp_ajax_* or register_rest_route() without validating the caller with current_user_can() or a matching nonce. Because the network attack path only requires a valid low-privilege session, credentialed attackers can reach the vulnerable handlers directly over HTTP.
Root Cause
The root cause is CWE-862: Missing Authorization. The plugin's action handlers rely on authentication as a security boundary but do not verify the caller's role or capability. Any authenticated session is treated as authorized to invoke privileged plugin operations.
Attack Vector
Exploitation is remote and requires an authenticated WordPress account. An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the plugin's exposed endpoints, invoking functions that should be gated by administrator-level checks. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own request. Full technical details are available in the PatchStack Vulnerability Report.
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Stop Identity AttacksDetection Methods for CVE-2025-22698
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected POST requests from low-privilege user sessions to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing Accessibility Suite actions
- Modifications to Accessibility Suite plugin settings without a corresponding administrator audit event
- New or altered plugin-controlled content originating from subscriber or contributor accounts
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access logs for authenticated requests to plugin endpoints associated with online-accessibility from non-administrator accounts
- Correlate WordPress user role with the source of plugin configuration changes to identify capability mismatches
- Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to record configuration writes tied to the Accessibility Suite
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on HTTP 200 responses to admin-ajax.php and REST routes from accounts below the editor role
- Monitor plugin option changes in the wp_options table for values managed by the plugin
- Track new user registrations followed by immediate calls to plugin endpoints
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22698
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Accessibility Suite (online-accessibility) to a version later than 4.18 when the vendor publishes a fix
- Restrict WordPress user registration and audit existing low-privilege accounts for unexpected activity
- Deploy a web application firewall rule to block unauthenticated and low-privilege calls to the plugin's action handlers
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, the advisory indicates the vulnerability affects the plugin from an unspecified version through 4.18. Consult the PatchStack Vulnerability Report and the plugin vendor's release notes for the latest patched build before upgrading.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the Accessibility Suite plugin until a patched version is available if the risk is unacceptable
- Enforce two-factor authentication on all WordPress accounts to reduce the pool of usable credentials
- Limit access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php from untrusted networks using WAF or reverse proxy rules
# Example WAF rule concept: block admin-ajax calls to plugin actions from non-admin sessions
# Replace <plugin_action_prefix> with the plugin's registered action names
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" \
"chain,deny,status:403,id:1002298,msg:'Block Accessibility Suite plugin action from low-priv user'"
SecRule ARGS:action "@beginsWith <plugin_action_prefix>" \
"chain"
SecRule REQUEST_COOKIES:wordpress_logged_in_* "@rx .+"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
