CVE-2025-23763: WAH Forms Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-23763 Overview

CVE-2025-23763 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Alex Volkov WAH Forms plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels and affects all versions of WAH Forms up to and including 1.0. Authenticated attackers with low privileges can leverage the weakness over the network to access sensitive form data that should be restricted. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-862] Missing Authorization and results in confidentiality impact without directly affecting integrity or availability.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can bypass access controls in the WAH Forms plugin to read sensitive data submitted through forms.

Affected Products

Alex Volkov WAH Forms plugin for WordPress
WAH Forms versions from n/a through 1.0
WordPress sites with the WAH Forms plugin installed and activated

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-03 - CVE-2025-23763 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23763

Vulnerability Analysis

The WAH Forms plugin fails to enforce authorization checks on functionality that exposes form submission data. An attacker who holds a low-privilege authenticated session can invoke the affected endpoints and retrieve information that the plugin should restrict to administrators or form owners. The vulnerability is remotely reachable and does not require user interaction.

Because the plugin does not validate the caller's role before returning data, the confidentiality boundary between low-privilege users and privileged form data collapses. Sensitive data exposure of this type frequently includes user-submitted personal information, contact details, and other form field content.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing capability or role check on plugin routes that return form data. In WordPress plugins, this typically means the developer omitted current_user_can() verification or a wp_verify_nonce() guard on AJAX handlers, REST routes, or admin-post actions. As a result, WordPress delivers the request to the handler based only on authentication state, not on authorization level.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site and a valid low-privilege account, such as a subscriber. The attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable WAH Forms endpoint. The plugin processes the request and returns sensitive form data without confirming that the caller is authorized. The vector is straightforward and does not require chained bugs or social engineering.

No verified public exploit code is available. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for advisory details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23763

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected authenticated HTTP requests from low-privilege accounts to WAH Forms plugin endpoints under /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or /wp-json/.
Access log entries showing subscriber-level users retrieving form submission data or plugin administrative responses.
Spikes in outbound data volume associated with WAH Forms request handlers.

Detection Strategies

Audit WordPress access logs for requests to WAH Forms actions originating from non-administrator sessions.
Correlate WordPress user role telemetry with plugin endpoint usage to surface authorization anomalies.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that inspects requests targeting the WAH Forms plugin and flags calls from low-privilege roles.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose WordPress logging for plugin AJAX and REST actions to capture request context and user role.
Monitor new or unused subscriber accounts that begin issuing plugin-related requests.
Alert on repeated 200 responses to plugin endpoints from accounts that historically had no such activity.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23763

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate the WAH Forms plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor.
Rotate credentials and audit all low-privilege user accounts on affected WordPress sites.
Review form submission storage for evidence of unauthorized access and notify affected data subjects if disclosure is confirmed.

Patch Information

The advisory lists affected versions from n/a through 1.0 and does not identify a fixed release at the time of publication. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the current remediation status and apply any vendor-supplied update as soon as it is released.

Workarounds

Remove the WAH Forms plugin from production WordPress installations if no patched version is available.
Restrict registration and reduce the number of low-privilege accounts on the site to shrink the attack surface.
Place the WordPress admin and AJAX endpoints behind an authenticated reverse proxy or WAF that enforces role-based access.

bash

# Configuration example: disable the WAH Forms plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate wah-forms
wp plugin delete wah-forms