CVE-2025-31816: Mobile App Canvas Authorization Bypass

CVE-2025-31816 Overview

CVE-2025-31816 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the pietro Mobile App Canvas plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 3.8.2. Attackers with low-privileged authenticated access can invoke plugin functions that lack proper access control checks. Successful exploitation permits unauthorized reads or modifications of plugin-managed data within the WordPress site.

The vulnerability stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels on plugin endpoints. Because the attack vector is network-based and requires only low privileges without user interaction, any authenticated subscriber-tier account can attempt exploitation.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can bypass authorization controls in Mobile App Canvas to access or manipulate restricted plugin functionality on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

pietro Mobile App Canvas plugin for WordPress
All versions up to and including 3.8.2
WordPress sites with the Mobile App Canvas (mobile-app) plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-01 - CVE-2025-31816 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31816

Vulnerability Analysis

The Mobile App Canvas plugin exposes functionality that fails to verify whether the requesting user holds the required capability for the requested action. This maps to Missing Authorization [CWE-862], where the application performs sensitive operations without confirming the caller is authorized.

Any authenticated user, including low-privileged roles such as Subscriber, can send requests to affected plugin endpoints. The plugin processes those requests without evaluating the caller's role, capability, or nonce context. The result is a broken access control condition where privilege boundaries defined by WordPress are not enforced at the plugin layer.

Impact is limited to integrity and availability of plugin-managed resources. Confidentiality impact per the CVSS vector is none, but integrity and availability are both partially affected.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of authorization checks such as current_user_can() on plugin action handlers. Plugin endpoints that should be restricted to administrators or editors execute for any authenticated role. The plugin also appears to lack capability validation on AJAX or REST routes that mutate state.

Attack Vector

An attacker first obtains an authenticated session on the target WordPress site, typically via a Subscriber account when open registration is enabled. The attacker then sends crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable Mobile App Canvas endpoints. Because no capability check runs server-side, the plugin executes the requested operation and returns a successful response. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for advisory details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31816

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to Mobile App Canvas plugin configuration or content performed by non-administrator accounts
HTTP requests to mobile-app plugin AJAX or REST endpoints originating from Subscriber-tier sessions
New or modified plugin-managed records without a corresponding administrator audit trail entry

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress access logs for POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or plugin REST routes referencing the mobile-app handle from low-privileged users
Correlate authentication events with subsequent privileged plugin actions to identify capability boundary violations
Deploy WordPress security plugins that flag broken access control patterns and unexpected AJAX action invocations

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on the WordPress application layer and forward events to a centralized SIEM for correlation
Alert on spikes in authenticated requests to Mobile App Canvas endpoints from accounts that have never previously interacted with the plugin
Track plugin version inventory across WordPress deployments to identify hosts still running versions <= 3.8.2

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31816

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Mobile App Canvas plugin to a version later than 3.8.2 as soon as the vendor publishes a fixed release
Audit WordPress user accounts and remove unnecessary Subscriber-tier registrations, especially on sites with open registration enabled
Review recent plugin activity logs for signs of unauthorized configuration changes

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the Patchstack Vulnerability Report lists the vulnerable range as up to and including 3.8.2 with no fixed version referenced in the NVD record. Site administrators should monitor the plugin repository for an updated release and apply it immediately upon availability.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the Mobile App Canvas plugin until a patched version becomes available
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and plugin REST endpoints using web application firewall rules that enforce role-based access
Disable open user registration under Settings > General to reduce the pool of authenticated attackers
Enforce the principle of least privilege by auditing WordPress roles and removing unused low-privileged accounts

bash

# Configuration example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate mobile-app
wp plugin list --name=mobile-app --fields=name,status,version