CVE-2025-31581 Overview
CVE-2025-31581 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the Sandeep Kumar WP Video Playlist plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of wp-video-playlist up to and including 1.1.2. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit incorrectly configured access control checks to alter plugin settings on a target site. The issue is reachable over the network without user interaction or prior credentials.
Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can modify WP Video Playlist plugin settings on affected WordPress sites, undermining site integrity and exposing content to tampering.
Affected Products
- Sandeep Kumar WP Video Playlist (wp-video-playlist) WordPress plugin
- All versions from initial release through 1.1.2
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin build
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-03 - CVE-2025-31581 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-31581
Vulnerability Analysis
The plugin exposes settings-change functionality without enforcing the required capability or nonce checks. Attackers can invoke the vulnerable endpoint directly and modify configuration values that should be restricted to administrators. Because the access control layer is missing rather than merely weak, no authentication or session context is required to reach the sensitive action.
The attack surface is network-facing and requires only a crafted HTTP request to the WordPress site. Successful exploitation impacts both confidentiality and integrity of plugin-managed data, though it does not directly disrupt site availability. The EPSS probability is 0.29%, indicating limited observed exploitation attempts to date.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing authorization check on a settings-handling function within the plugin. WordPress plugins are expected to gate privileged actions with current_user_can() capability checks and check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce() calls. The vulnerable handler in wp-video-playlist omits these guards, allowing any caller to trigger the settings-change logic.
Attack Vector
An attacker sends an HTTP request to the exposed plugin endpoint with attacker-controlled parameter values. The plugin processes the request and persists the changes without verifying the caller's identity or role. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for technical details on the affected code path.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31581
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to WP Video Playlist plugin settings recorded in the WordPress options table.
- Requests to plugin-specific admin-post or AJAX endpoints originating from unauthenticated sessions.
- Anomalous POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-post.php or /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing wp-video-playlist actions.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to plugin endpoints lacking a valid wordpress_logged_in_* cookie.
- Correlate WordPress audit logs against administrative user activity to identify settings changes without corresponding admin sessions.
- Deploy WordPress security plugins or a WAF ruleset that flags unauthenticated writes to plugin option keys.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable file integrity monitoring on the WordPress wp-content/plugins/wp-video-playlist/ directory and database options.
- Alert on new or modified plugin option rows in the wp_options table where the option name matches the plugin namespace.
- Track outbound requests generated by video playlist rendering, which could indicate malicious URLs injected via altered settings.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31581
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate the WP Video Playlist plugin on any site running version 1.1.2 or earlier until a patched release is confirmed.
- Audit plugin settings and revert unauthorized modifications identified in the wp_options table.
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/ and plugin AJAX endpoints via IP allowlisting or authentication at the reverse proxy layer.
Patch Information
No vendor patch has been referenced in the NVD entry at the time of publication. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest fix availability and upgrade guidance.
Workarounds
- Uninstall wp-video-playlist and migrate to an actively maintained video playlist plugin.
- Apply a virtual patch via a Web Application Firewall to block unauthenticated POST requests targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoints.
- Enforce a WordPress role-based access policy that denies non-administrator writes to plugin option keys through a mu-plugin filter on pre_update_option.
# Configuration example
wp plugin deactivate wp-video-playlist
wp plugin delete wp-video-playlist
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
