CVE-2025-31071: HotStar Theme Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-31071 Overview

CVE-2025-31071 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the themeton HotStar – Multi-Purpose Business Theme for WordPress. The flaw stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reach functionality that should be restricted. All versions of HotStar – Multi-Purpose Business Theme through 1.4 are affected. Attackers can exploit the issue over the network without authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation results in limited integrity impact on the target WordPress site.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network-based attackers can invoke restricted theme functionality due to broken access control, enabling low-impact integrity modifications to WordPress installations running HotStar through version 1.4.

Affected Products

themeton HotStar – Multi-Purpose Business Theme (WordPress theme)
All versions from n/a through 1.4
WordPress sites deploying the affected theme

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-16 - CVE-2025-31071 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31071

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a Missing Authorization issue in the HotStar WordPress theme. The theme exposes functionality without properly verifying whether the requesting user holds the required capability or role. This class of flaw, tracked as [CWE-862], occurs when an application performs an action but omits a permission check before executing it. In WordPress themes, this pattern typically appears in AJAX handlers, admin-post endpoints, or REST routes registered without current_user_can() or wp_verify_nonce() checks.

The attack surface is network-reachable, requires no privileges, and needs no user interaction. The confidentiality and availability impacts are absent, but integrity is affected at a limited scope. An attacker cannot arbitrarily modify all site content, but can invoke actions that alter specific data managed by the vulnerable endpoint.

Root Cause

The root cause is incorrectly configured access control within the theme code. Sensitive operations reachable through HTTP requests do not enforce capability or nonce checks before executing privileged logic. WordPress requires developers to explicitly gate protected endpoints, and the affected theme omits these guards on at least one code path through version 1.4.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over HTTP against a WordPress site running the vulnerable theme. An attacker sends a crafted request to the exposed theme endpoint without providing valid authentication or a valid nonce. Because the handler does not verify authorization, the server processes the request and applies the resulting state changes. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for endpoint-specific details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31071

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated POST requests to theme-specific admin-ajax.php actions or custom theme endpoints originating from unexpected IP ranges.
Modifications to WordPress options, post metadata, or theme settings without a corresponding authenticated administrator session.
Web server access logs showing requests to HotStar theme paths outside of legitimate administrative activity windows.

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress deployments and identify installations running the HotStar theme at version 1.4 or earlier.
Deploy web application firewall rules that flag unauthenticated requests to theme AJAX actions and admin-post handlers.
Correlate WordPress audit logs with web server logs to detect state changes lacking a matching authenticated session.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to record option changes, user changes, and theme setting modifications.
Monitor for anomalous spikes in requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with theme-related action parameters.
Alert on outbound integrity changes such as new administrator accounts, altered site URLs, or injected content near the time of suspicious theme requests.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31071

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress sites running the HotStar – Multi-Purpose Business Theme and record the installed version.
Restrict access to wp-admin and admin-ajax.php at the network or WAF layer for sites that cannot be updated immediately.
Review the site for unauthorized configuration changes, new users, or unexpected content modifications.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the Patchstack Vulnerability Report indicates the vulnerability affects HotStar from n/a through 1.4. Administrators should consult the vendor and Patchstack for the latest fixed version and apply it as soon as it becomes available.

Workarounds

Switch to an actively maintained WordPress theme if a vendor patch is not available.
Apply a virtual patch through a WordPress-aware WAF to block unauthenticated access to the vulnerable theme endpoints.
Enforce IP allowlisting for administrative URLs on production WordPress hosts.

bash

# Example nginx rule to block unauthenticated access to admin-ajax theme actions
location = /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php {
    if ($arg_action ~* "^hotstar_") {
        return 403;
    }
}