CVE-2025-31004: Rich Table of Contents Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-31004 Overview

CVE-2025-31004 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Croover.inc Rich Table of Contents plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of rich-table-of-content up to and including 1.4.0. It stems from incorrectly configured access control on plugin functionality, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to invoke actions they should not reach. The issue is categorized under [CWE-862] Missing Authorization.

Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker with minimal privileges can exploit broken access control to modify plugin data over the network, affecting integrity of the Rich Table of Contents plugin configuration.

Affected Products

Croover.inc Rich Table of Contents WordPress plugin
All versions from initial release through 1.4.0
WordPress sites with the rich-table-of-content plugin installed and activated

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-09 - CVE-2025-31004 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31004

Vulnerability Analysis

The Rich Table of Contents plugin exposes one or more actions that lack proper authorization checks. Server-side handlers do not verify whether the requesting user has the capability required to perform the action. As a result, an authenticated user with only subscriber-level access can invoke privileged plugin functionality. The vulnerability affects integrity but does not disclose confidential data or disrupt availability of the underlying WordPress installation.

The Exploit Prediction Scoring System places this issue at a probability of 0.422%, indicating limited observed interest in weaponization at this time.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of a capability check, such as current_user_can(), and the absence of a nonce verification, such as check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(), on one or more plugin endpoints. The plugin relies on user authentication alone rather than validating whether that user is authorized to perform the specific action. This pattern maps directly to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the target WordPress site and a valid low-privilege account. The attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint, typically an admin-ajax.php or REST route registered by the plugin. Because the handler does not enforce a capability check, the server executes the requested action on behalf of the attacker. No user interaction from an administrator is required.

No public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31004

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected modifications to Rich Table of Contents plugin settings, options, or stored table-of-contents entries.
Requests to admin-ajax.php or REST endpoints registered by rich-table-of-content originating from low-privilege user sessions.
Newly created or altered plugin data entries associated with subscriber or contributor accounts.

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress access logs for POST requests targeting plugin action names associated with rich-table-of-content from non-administrator sessions.
Correlate authenticated session identifiers with actions that would normally require the manage_options capability.
Compare current plugin settings to a known-good baseline to identify unauthorized state changes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to capture plugin option changes and REST/AJAX invocations with associated user IDs.
Alert on privilege-mismatched activity where low-privilege accounts trigger administrative plugin actions.
Monitor for anomalous account creation followed by immediate access to plugin-specific endpoints.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31004

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade the Rich Table of Contents plugin to a version later than 1.4.0 as soon as the vendor publishes a fix.
Audit existing WordPress user accounts and remove unnecessary low-privilege accounts that could be abused.
Review plugin settings and stored content for unauthorized modifications introduced prior to patching.

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects rich-table-of-content versions through 1.4.0. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the current fixed version and vendor guidance. Apply the update through the WordPress plugin management interface or via WP-CLI.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the Rich Table of Contents plugin until a patched release is installed.
Restrict registration on the affected WordPress site to prevent attackers from obtaining low-privilege accounts.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule to block unauthenticated or low-privilege requests to plugin-specific AJAX and REST endpoints.

bash

# Configuration example: disable the plugin via WP-CLI until a patched version is available
wp plugin deactivate rich-table-of-content
wp plugin delete rich-table-of-content

# After patch release, update to the fixed version
wp plugin update rich-table-of-content