CVE-2025-31545: Safe AI Malware Protection Auth Bypass

CVE-2025-31545 Overview

CVE-2025-31545 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the WP Messiah Safe Ai Malware Protection for WP WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.0.20. Authenticated attackers with low privileges can exploit incorrectly configured access control checks to invoke plugin functionality intended for higher-privileged users. The vulnerability enables limited tampering with integrity and availability of the plugin's protected resources on affected WordPress sites.

Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker with low-level privileges can interact with restricted plugin endpoints, undermining the malware protection controls the plugin is designed to enforce.

Affected Products

WP Messiah Safe Ai Malware Protection for WP plugin — versions up to and including 1.0.20
WordPress sites running the safe-ai-malware-protection-for-wp plugin
Any deployment permitting low-privileged authenticated user registration on affected versions

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-31 - CVE-2025-31545 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31545

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks on plugin actions exposed by Safe Ai Malware Protection for WP. The plugin registers handlers that alter or read protected state without verifying that the requesting user holds the required capability. An authenticated user at a low privilege tier, such as a subscriber, can invoke these handlers directly. The result is broken access control that bypasses the intended role boundary between administrators and standard users.

Because the plugin advertises malware protection functionality, the missing checks let an attacker interfere with the very controls the plugin enforces. This weakens defensive posture on the WordPress site and creates a foothold for further tampering. The issue does not require user interaction beyond authentication, and the attack executes over the network against the WordPress HTTP endpoint.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing capability check ([CWE-862]) on one or more plugin request handlers. WordPress plugins are expected to gate privileged actions with current_user_can() and to validate nonces with check_ajax_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). In affected versions, at least one handler omits the capability check, allowing any authenticated user to reach code paths meant for administrators.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is remote and requires low-privilege authentication. The attacker sends a crafted request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint, typically over admin-ajax.php or a REST route registered by the plugin. Because no privilege is enforced server-side, the request executes as if issued by an authorized user. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for the specific handler details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31545

Indicators of Compromise

Requests to admin-ajax.php or plugin REST routes originating from low-privilege user sessions targeting safe-ai-malware-protection-for-wp actions
Unexpected changes to plugin configuration, quarantine lists, or scan results on WordPress sites running the plugin
WordPress audit log entries showing subscriber-level accounts invoking administrative plugin actions

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress installations for the safe-ai-malware-protection-for-wp plugin and flag any version at or below 1.0.20
Correlate authenticated web requests to plugin endpoints against the requesting user's WordPress role
Alert on HTTP requests to plugin AJAX or REST handlers that succeed for non-administrator user IDs

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a WordPress security or audit logging plugin to capture role, action, and endpoint for every authenticated request
Forward WordPress access logs and PHP error logs to a centralized SIEM for role-based anomaly analysis
Monitor for the creation of new low-privilege accounts followed by rapid access to plugin endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31545

Immediate Actions Required

Update Safe Ai Malware Protection for WP to a version released after 1.0.20 that addresses the missing authorization check
If no fixed version is available, deactivate and remove the plugin until a patch ships
Audit existing WordPress user accounts and remove any unrecognized or unnecessary low-privilege accounts

Patch Information

Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for vendor fix status and update guidance. Upgrade beyond version 1.0.20 once the vendor publishes a patched release. Verify plugin integrity after upgrade by comparing installed files against the vendor distribution.

Workarounds

Disable new user registration under Settings → General in WordPress to reduce the pool of low-privilege attackers
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and the plugin's REST namespace using a web application firewall rule scoped to administrator roles
Enforce strong authentication and multi-factor authentication on all WordPress accounts to limit credential-based access

bash

# Configuration example: disable the vulnerable plugin from WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate safe-ai-malware-protection-for-wp
wp plugin delete safe-ai-malware-protection-for-wp

# Disable open user registration
wp option update users_can_register 0