CVE-2025-31848: WPFactory Adverts Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-31848 Overview

CVE-2025-31848 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the WPFactory Adverts plugin (adverts-click-tracker) for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.4. The plugin exposes functionality without properly enforcing access control checks, allowing unauthenticated network-based attackers to interact with restricted operations. Successful exploitation results in a low-impact integrity breach on the affected WordPress site. The issue was catalogued by Patchstack and published to NVD on April 1, 2025.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can reach plugin functionality that should require authorization, enabling limited tampering with click-tracking data through incorrectly configured access control security levels.

Affected Products

WPFactory Adverts (adverts-click-tracker) plugin for WordPress
All versions from n/a through 1.4
WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin activated

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-01 - CVE-2025-31848 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31848

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks in the WPFactory Adverts click-tracker plugin. The plugin registers handlers that perform state-changing operations without verifying that the requesting user holds the required capability. WordPress plugins typically enforce authorization through current_user_can() checks combined with nonce verification via check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). When these controls are absent or incorrectly configured, any network client can invoke the affected endpoints. The attack requires no privileges and no user interaction, and it operates over the network against a listening WordPress instance.

Root Cause

The root cause is an incorrectly configured access control security level, mapped to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization. Plugin action handlers do not validate the caller's role or capability before executing sensitive logic. This design gap allows unauthenticated requests to reach code paths that assume the caller is authorized. Because the plugin manages advertisement click tracking, the reachable functionality touches integrity-relevant data such as click counters or tracking configuration.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests directly to the vulnerable plugin endpoints on a target WordPress site. No credentials, session, or victim interaction are required. The impact is limited to integrity: the attacker can influence data managed by the plugin but cannot directly read confidential data or crash the site through this issue. No public proof-of-concept exploit and no CISA KEV listing are recorded for CVE-2025-31848. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for the advisory record.

// No verified proof-of-concept code is available for CVE-2025-31848.
// See the Patchstack advisory referenced above for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31848

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated HTTP POST or GET requests to adverts-click-tracker plugin endpoints under /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or plugin-specific routes.
Unexpected changes to advertisement click counts or tracking records without corresponding legitimate traffic.
Requests carrying plugin action parameters from IP addresses that never authenticate to the WordPress site.

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress sites for the adverts-click-tracker plugin and record installed versions to identify hosts at or below version 1.4.
Inspect web server access logs for requests targeting the plugin's action handlers that lack a valid session cookie or nonce parameter.
Correlate anomalous click-tracking statistics with request source IPs and user-agent strings to surface automated abuse.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized analytics platform and alert on unauthenticated calls to plugin AJAX actions.
Baseline normal advertisement click volumes and trigger alerts on statistically significant deviations.
Monitor for repeated 200-status responses to plugin endpoints originating from a single IP within short time windows.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31848

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress installations running WPFactory Adverts (adverts-click-tracker) version 1.4 or earlier.
Update the plugin to a fixed release once the vendor publishes one, per the Patchstack advisory.
Deactivate and remove the plugin on sites where it is not actively required.

Patch Information

As recorded in the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report, all versions up to and including 1.4 are affected. Administrators should apply the vendor's fixed version when available and verify the plugin version via the WordPress admin plugins page after upgrade.

Workarounds

Restrict access to the plugin's endpoints using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks unauthenticated requests to its AJAX actions.
Disable the plugin until a patched version is confirmed installed.
Limit administrative and AJAX endpoint exposure by IP allowlisting where operationally feasible.

bash

# Example: identify vulnerable installations via WP-CLI
wp plugin list --fields=name,version,status | grep adverts-click-tracker

# Deactivate the plugin as a temporary workaround
wp plugin deactivate adverts-click-tracker