CVE-2025-31611: Auto Post After Image Upload Auth Bypass

CVE-2025-31611 Overview

CVE-2025-31611 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Shaharia Azam Auto Post After Image Upload WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.6. It stems from incorrectly configured access control on plugin functionality, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to perform actions they should not be permitted to execute. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can exploit broken access control in the plugin to trigger unauthorized post creation, impacting site integrity.

Affected Products

Shaharia Azam Auto Post After Image Upload plugin for WordPress
All versions from initial release through 1.6
WordPress sites with the auto-post-after-image-upload plugin enabled

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-31 - CVE-2025-31611 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31611

Vulnerability Analysis

The Auto Post After Image Upload plugin extends WordPress to automatically publish a post when an image is uploaded. The vulnerability arises because plugin endpoints do not enforce sufficient capability checks before executing privileged actions. An authenticated user with limited privileges can invoke these endpoints and cause the plugin to perform operations reserved for higher-privileged roles.

The attack requires network access and low privileges without user interaction. The impact is limited to integrity, with no direct effect on confidentiality or availability of the underlying WordPress installation.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check [CWE-862]. Plugin action handlers rely on authentication alone and do not validate the acting user's WordPress capabilities (for example, current_user_can()) or verify request nonces before executing sensitive operations tied to image upload and post creation workflows.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to the target WordPress site with any low-privileged account, such as Subscriber or Contributor. The attacker then issues a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. Because the endpoint does not verify the caller's role or capability, the plugin processes the request and performs the auto-post action as if a permitted user had triggered it.

No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31611

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected posts created on the WordPress site that correlate with image upload events initiated by low-privileged accounts.
HTTP POST requests from Subscriber or Contributor sessions to plugin AJAX or REST endpoints associated with auto-post-after-image-upload.
New media library entries followed immediately by post publication under an author that did not initiate the upload through the standard admin flow.

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress wp_posts and wp_postmeta tables for posts authored or triggered outside the standard editorial workflow.
Correlate web server access logs with WordPress user roles to identify low-privileged sessions calling plugin action handlers.
Enable and inspect WordPress audit logs to identify capability escalation patterns tied to image upload activity.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and REST API traffic for requests referencing the auto-post-after-image-upload plugin from non-admin sessions.
Alert on sudden increases in post creation volume from accounts that historically do not publish content.
Track plugin version inventory across managed WordPress sites to identify installations still running version 1.6 or earlier.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31611

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress installations running the Auto Post After Image Upload plugin at version 1.6 or lower.
Deactivate and remove the plugin until a patched release is available, or replace it with a maintained alternative.
Audit existing posts and user accounts for unauthorized content produced during the exposure window.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no fixed version is listed in the advisory. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest patch status and vendor guidance.

Workarounds

Restrict low-privileged user registration and disable open registration where feasible.
Apply a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to plugin endpoints from users lacking the edit_posts capability.
Enforce least privilege by reviewing role assignments and removing unnecessary Subscriber or Contributor accounts.

bash

# Example: deactivate the vulnerable plugin using WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate auto-post-after-image-upload
wp plugin delete auto-post-after-image-upload