CVE-2025-23615: Interactive Page Hierarchy Auth Bypass

CVE-2025-23615 Overview

CVE-2025-23615 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the gtekelis Interactive Page Hierarchy WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.0.1. The plugin fails to enforce proper access control checks on sensitive functionality, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to trigger actions that should be restricted. The underlying weakness is classified as [CWE-862] Missing Authorization.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with minimal privileges can exploit incorrectly configured access control to affect the availability of WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin.

Affected Products

• gtekelis Interactive Page Hierarchy plugin for WordPress
• All versions from initial release through 1.0.1
• WordPress installations with the interactive-page-hierarchy plugin activated

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-03 - CVE-2025-23615 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23615

Vulnerability Analysis

The Interactive Page Hierarchy plugin exposes functionality without verifying that the requesting user has the necessary authorization. WordPress plugins typically enforce access control through capability checks such as current_user_can() and nonce validation via check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). When either check is absent or misconfigured, low-privileged authenticated users can invoke administrative operations directly.

The vulnerability requires network access and low privileges, with no user interaction. Exploitation impacts availability without affecting confidentiality or integrity, suggesting attackers can disrupt plugin-managed page hierarchy data or trigger destructive operations against site content managed by the plugin.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check on plugin action handlers. The plugin registers endpoints or AJAX handlers that perform state-changing operations but does not restrict callers based on WordPress capabilities. Any authenticated user, including subscribers, can reach these handlers and trigger their behavior.

Attack Vector

An authenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. Because the plugin does not verify the caller's role or capabilities, the request executes with the privileges intended for administrators. The attacker can repeat these requests to disrupt normal site operation and impact availability of the hierarchy features the plugin controls. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for further technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23615

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modifications to page hierarchy structures or plugin-managed content by non-administrator accounts
• HTTP POST requests to interactive-page-hierarchy plugin endpoints originating from low-privileged user sessions
• Anomalous admin-ajax.php traffic referencing plugin actions from subscriber or contributor accounts

Detection Strategies

• Audit WordPress access logs for requests to plugin action handlers correlated with non-administrator authenticated sessions
• Deploy web application firewall rules to flag requests targeting the plugin from users lacking editor or administrator roles
• Review plugin activity in WordPress audit logs for state changes attributed to users without appropriate capabilities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor for spikes in requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and /wp-admin/admin-post.php referencing plugin-specific actions
• Alert on WordPress role and capability escalation attempts against sites running the vulnerable plugin
• Track plugin installation and version inventory across managed WordPress sites to identify exposure

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23615

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate the Interactive Page Hierarchy plugin on all WordPress instances until a patched version is available
• Restrict user registration and audit existing low-privileged accounts for suspicious activity
• Apply web application firewall rules to block unauthorized requests to plugin endpoints

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no fixed version was listed for the interactive-page-hierarchy plugin. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for updated patch availability and upgrade guidance.

Workarounds

• Remove the plugin entirely if no immediate business need exists for the functionality
• Enforce strict user role assignments and disable open registration on affected WordPress sites
• Deploy a virtual patch through a WordPress security plugin or upstream WAF to block requests to vulnerable endpoints