CVE-2025-23970: Service Finder Booking Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-23970 Overview

CVE-2025-23970 is a critical Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability affecting the Service Finder Booking WordPress plugin developed by aonetheme. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to escalate privileges on affected WordPress installations, potentially gaining administrative access to the website. The flaw stems from improper privilege management within the plugin, enabling attackers to bypass normal authorization controls.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability enables unauthenticated privilege escalation, allowing attackers to potentially gain full administrative control over WordPress websites running the vulnerable Service Finder Booking plugin.

Affected Products

• Service Finder Booking WordPress Plugin versions through 6.0
• WordPress installations with Service Finder Booking (sf-booking) plugin installed

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-04 - CVE CVE-2025-23970 published to NVD
• 2025-07-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23970

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment), which occurs when a product incorrectly assigns privileges to particular users, creating an unintended access sphere. In the context of the Service Finder Booking plugin, the vulnerability allows attackers to bypass standard privilege checks and escalate their access level without proper authentication or authorization.

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without requiring any prior authentication or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible WordPress sites. Successful exploitation could result in complete compromise of the affected WordPress installation, including unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of website content, and potential lateral movement to other systems.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper privilege assignment logic within the Service Finder Booking plugin. The plugin fails to properly validate user roles and permissions before granting elevated privileges, allowing attackers to manipulate requests in a way that grants them unauthorized access levels. This represents a fundamental flaw in the plugin's access control implementation.

Attack Vector

The attack can be executed remotely over the network against any WordPress installation running the vulnerable Service Finder Booking plugin. An attacker does not need any existing account, credentials, or user interaction to exploit this vulnerability. The attack complexity is low, meaning that exploitation is straightforward once a vulnerable target is identified.

The attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate from an unauthenticated state to a privileged user role within the WordPress installation. This could include gaining administrator-level access, which would provide complete control over the affected website.

For technical details on the exploitation mechanism, refer to the Patchstack vulnerability database entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23970

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected user account creation with elevated privileges (administrator, editor)
• Suspicious API calls or requests to the Service Finder Booking plugin endpoints
• Anomalous modifications to WordPress user roles or capabilities
• Unauthorized changes to site content or settings without legitimate administrator activity

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress user table for unexpected privilege changes or new administrator accounts
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect privilege escalation attempts against the sf-booking plugin
• Review WordPress access logs for unusual patterns targeting Service Finder Booking plugin endpoints
• Deploy runtime application self-protection (RASP) solutions to detect unauthorized privilege modifications

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed WordPress logging and monitor for user role modification events
• Configure alerting for new administrator account creation
• Implement file integrity monitoring for WordPress core files and plugin directories
• Set up real-time monitoring for changes to the wp_usermeta table, particularly the wp_capabilities field

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23970

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Service Finder Booking plugin to the latest patched version immediately
• Audit all existing user accounts for unauthorized privilege escalation
• Remove or disable the vulnerable plugin until a patch can be applied
• Review WordPress access logs for signs of prior exploitation

Patch Information

Organizations running the Service Finder Booking plugin should update to a version newer than 6.0 as soon as a patched release becomes available. Check the Patchstack advisory for the latest patch information and recommendations.

Until a patch is available, consider implementing the workarounds listed below to reduce exposure.

Workarounds

• Temporarily deactivate and remove the Service Finder Booking plugin if it is not critical to operations
• Implement IP-based access restrictions to limit who can access the WordPress admin panel
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block suspicious requests to the plugin
• Enable WordPress multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrator accounts

# WordPress CLI commands to audit and secure user accounts
# List all users with administrator role
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,user_registered

# Check for recently created administrator accounts
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_registered --format=table

# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin temporarily
wp plugin deactivate sf-booking