CVE-2025-31870: WP AutoKeyword Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-31870 Overview

CVE-2025-31870 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the EXEIdeas International WP AutoKeyword plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of wp-autokeyword up to and including 1.0. Authenticated attackers with low privileges can exploit incorrectly configured access control checks to perform arbitrary content deletion within WordPress sites running the plugin.

Critical Impact

An authenticated user with minimal permissions can delete arbitrary WordPress content, disrupting site availability and integrity without administrator interaction.

Affected Products

• EXEIdeas International WP AutoKeyword plugin (wp-autokeyword)
• Versions from n/a through <= 1.0
• WordPress installations with the plugin activated

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-01 - CVE-2025-31870 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31870

Vulnerability Analysis

The WP AutoKeyword plugin exposes functionality that modifies or deletes WordPress content without properly verifying whether the requesting user is authorized to perform the operation. According to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report, this enables arbitrary content deletion by any authenticated user.

Attackers with subscriber-level or contributor-level accounts can invoke the affected endpoint. The plugin fails to enforce capability checks such as current_user_can() and does not validate nonces tied to sensitive operations. This turns a routine plugin action into a broken access control pathway.

The EPSS score of 0.334% indicates limited observed exploitation attempts, but WordPress plugin vulnerabilities are frequently added to opportunistic scanning kits after public disclosure.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check [CWE-862] on a plugin action handler. The code path executing content deletion does not verify user capabilities before performing the destructive operation. Any authenticated session capable of reaching the endpoint can trigger deletion regardless of role.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site and a valid low-privilege account. The attacker submits a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. Because no capability check or nonce validation blocks the call, the server processes the deletion and removes the targeted content. See the Patchstack advisory for technical details on the affected code path.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31870

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected deletion of posts, pages, or custom post types in the WordPress database
• HTTP POST requests to WP AutoKeyword plugin endpoints originating from non-admin user sessions
• Audit log gaps or missing entries corresponding to deleted content
• Sudden drops in indexed URLs reported by search console tools

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress access logs for requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or plugin URLs carrying WP AutoKeyword action parameters from low-privilege accounts
• Deploy a WordPress activity plugin that records post deletions with actor attribution and correlate against expected editorial workflows
• Alert on any content deletion performed by users with roles below Editor

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable database-level auditing on the wp_posts table to capture DELETE operations with timestamps and originating session data
• Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation with authentication events
• Baseline normal plugin usage patterns and alert on deviations, particularly requests from newly registered accounts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31870

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate and remove the WP AutoKeyword plugin from all WordPress installations until a patched version is released
• Audit user accounts for unauthorized registrations and disable open registration where not required
• Restore any deleted content from recent backups and verify database integrity

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no patched version has been identified for WP AutoKeyword beyond version 1.0. Administrators should monitor the Patchstack advisory and the vendor's distribution channel for updates. Until a fix is available, removal is the recommended path.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to WordPress admin and AJAX endpoints using web application firewall (WAF) rules that block requests targeting WP AutoKeyword actions
• Enforce least-privilege role assignments and remove unnecessary Subscriber or Contributor accounts
• Require multi-factor authentication for all WordPress user accounts to reduce risk of credential-based access
• Implement IP allowlisting for /wp-admin/ where operationally feasible

# Example: Disable the plugin via WP-CLI pending vendor patch
wp plugin deactivate wp-autokeyword
wp plugin delete wp-autokeyword

# Example: Block plugin endpoint at the web server (nginx)
location ~* /wp-content/plugins/wp-autokeyword/ {
    deny all;
    return 403;
}