CVE-2025-23761 Overview
CVE-2025-23761 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Alex Volkov Woo Tuner WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions of Woo Tuner up to and including 0.1.2. Attackers with low-privilege authenticated access can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to perform actions they should not have permission to execute. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and originates from insufficient capability checks on plugin functionality exposed to authenticated users.
Critical Impact
Authenticated users with low privileges can bypass access control checks in the Woo Tuner plugin, leading to limited integrity and availability impact on affected WooCommerce sites.
Affected Products
- Alex Volkov Woo Tuner plugin for WordPress
- Woo Tuner versions from n/a through 0.1.2
- WordPress sites running WooCommerce with the Woo Tuner extension installed
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-01-16 - CVE-2025-23761 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-23761
Vulnerability Analysis
The Woo Tuner plugin exposes functionality to authenticated WordPress users without enforcing appropriate capability checks. The plugin operates within the WooCommerce ecosystem and adds tuning or configuration features that should be restricted to administrators. Because the access control logic does not verify the caller's role or capabilities before executing sensitive actions, low-privileged users such as subscribers or customers can invoke restricted operations. The vulnerability produces limited impact on integrity and availability while not exposing confidential data directly.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing authorization check [CWE-862] on one or more plugin endpoints. WordPress plugins are expected to gate privileged actions with current_user_can() capability checks and nonce verification through check_ajax_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). Woo Tuner versions up to 0.1.2 fail to apply these checks consistently, leaving privileged handlers reachable by any authenticated session. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for advisory details.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site and a valid low-privilege account. An attacker registers or compromises a low-tier user account, authenticates to the target site, and issues HTTP requests directly to the vulnerable plugin handlers. Because no user interaction from an administrator is required, the attack can be scripted against WooCommerce sites that permit customer registration. The vulnerability does not enable remote code execution, but it does allow modification of plugin-controlled settings and can degrade site availability.
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Stop Identity AttacksDetection Methods for CVE-2025-23761
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Woo Tuner plugin configuration or WooCommerce tuning parameters made by non-administrator accounts
- HTTP POST or AJAX requests to Woo Tuner endpoints originating from user sessions that do not hold administrator or shop manager roles
- New or recently created low-privilege user accounts followed by activity against admin-ajax.php or plugin REST routes
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access logs for requests to Woo Tuner plugin paths from authenticated sessions that lack administrative capabilities
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that inspects requests to Woo Tuner endpoints and validates the caller's role via WordPress session context
- Correlate audit plugin events (for example, WP Activity Log) with plugin setting changes to identify unauthorized modifications
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging on admin-ajax.php, WordPress REST API, and plugin-specific endpoints
- Alert on any Woo Tuner configuration change events performed by users outside the administrator role
- Monitor for spikes in low-privilege user registrations followed by requests targeting plugin routes
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23761
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate the Woo Tuner plugin on all affected WordPress installations until a patched version is available
- Audit existing user accounts and remove or downgrade any suspicious low-privilege accounts created recently
- Restrict new user registration to trusted workflows and enforce email verification
Patch Information
No fixed version is listed in the advisory at the time of publication. The vulnerability affects Woo Tuner from unspecified early releases through 0.1.2. Site operators should monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin's official WordPress.org page for a patched release. Until a fix is published, removal is the recommended path.
Workarounds
- Block requests to Woo Tuner plugin endpoints at the web application firewall or reverse proxy layer
- Apply the principle of least privilege by ensuring no unnecessary accounts hold roles above subscriber
- Use a WordPress hardening plugin to enforce capability checks and log unauthorized access attempts
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
