CVE-2025-27294: WP-Asambleas Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-27294 Overview

CVE-2025-27294 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the platcom WP-Asambleas WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.85.0. The vulnerability stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels, which allow attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes without proper authorization checks. Patchstack tracks this issue as an arbitrary shortcode execution vulnerability. Successful exploitation requires network access and no authentication, but the attack complexity is high. The vulnerability results in limited impact to confidentiality and integrity, with no direct impact on availability.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can trigger arbitrary shortcode execution in vulnerable WordPress sites running WP-Asambleas, potentially exposing restricted content or altering rendered output.

Affected Products

platcom WP-Asambleas WordPress plugin
All versions from n/a through <= 2.85.0
WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin activated

Discovery Timeline

2025-02-24 - CVE-2025-27294 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-27294

Vulnerability Analysis

The WP-Asambleas plugin fails to enforce proper capability checks on functions that process shortcodes. Missing Authorization [CWE-862] occurs when an application does not verify that the requester has the required permissions before performing sensitive operations. In this case, the plugin exposes shortcode execution paths to unauthenticated users.

Shortcodes in WordPress are server-side macros that render dynamic content. When authorization checks are absent, an attacker can invoke shortcodes intended for administrators or authenticated members. This may return protected assembly content, generate side effects, or execute functionality outside the attacker's intended privilege boundary.

Exploitation requires the attacker to identify accessible endpoints that process shortcode input and craft requests that trigger the target shortcode. The high attack complexity reflects preconditions such as specific plugin configuration or knowledge of internal shortcode names.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of current_user_can() capability checks or equivalent authorization logic in the code paths that handle shortcode processing. The plugin trusts callers without validating that they have permission to execute the requested action.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based. An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable WordPress site that invoke shortcode handlers exposed by WP-Asambleas. Since no authentication is required, any remote user can attempt exploitation. See the Patchstack advisory for technical details.

No verified public exploit code is available at this time. The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose because no realCodeExamples were provided.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-27294

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected HTTP POST or GET requests targeting admin-ajax.php or WP-Asambleas endpoints from unauthenticated sessions
Access log entries containing shortcode parameters such as [asamblea] or plugin-specific tags from external IP addresses
Rendered assembly or member-only content appearing in responses to unauthenticated clients

Detection Strategies

Audit WordPress access logs for anomalous requests referencing WP-Asambleas AJAX actions or REST routes
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to flag unauthenticated requests containing plugin-specific shortcode payloads
Compare rendered response bodies against expected authenticated-only content to detect information leakage

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on the WordPress site and forward logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation
Monitor for spikes in requests to WP-Asambleas endpoints originating from single source IPs
Track plugin version inventory across managed WordPress properties to identify unpatched installations

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-27294

Immediate Actions Required

Update the WP-Asambleas plugin to a version later than 2.85.0 once the vendor publishes a fix
Inventory all WordPress instances to identify those running vulnerable versions of WP-Asambleas
Restrict access to WordPress AJAX and REST endpoints using firewall or reverse proxy rules where feasible

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the Patchstack advisory is the authoritative source. Administrators should monitor the vendor page and WordPress plugin repository for a version above 2.85.0 that addresses the missing authorization check.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the WP-Asambleas plugin until a patched version is available
Apply WAF virtual patching rules to block unauthenticated requests that invoke plugin-specific shortcodes
Restrict site access to authenticated users at the web server layer if the plugin cannot be removed

bash

# Example: block unauthenticated access to WP-Asambleas AJAX actions via nginx
location ~* /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php {
    if ($arg_action ~* "wp_asambleas|asamblea") {
        return 403;
    }
}