CVE-2025-32253: Course Booking System Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-32253 Overview

CVE-2025-32253 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the ComMotion Course Booking System plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 6.1. Attackers can access functionality that is not properly constrained by Access Control Lists (ACLs), leading to unauthorized interactions with plugin features. The issue maps to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization and is exploitable over the network without authentication or user interaction. The confidentiality and integrity impacts are none, but availability can be affected on vulnerable WordPress installations running the plugin.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network attackers can invoke Course Booking System functionality that lacks proper authorization checks, degrading availability on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

ComMotion Course Booking System plugin for WordPress
Versions from n/a through 6.1
WordPress sites with the course-booking-system plugin installed

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-04 - CVE-2025-32253 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-32253

Vulnerability Analysis

The Course Booking System plugin exposes plugin actions without validating whether the requesting user is authorized to invoke them. This is a broken access control condition classified under [CWE-862] Missing Authorization. Because the attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction, remote attackers can reach the vulnerable endpoints directly through standard HTTP requests to the WordPress site.

The Patchstack advisory describes the issue as a broken access control vulnerability affecting the plugin at version 6.0.5 and earlier, with the fixed range extending through 6.1. Successful exploitation does not disclose sensitive data or modify integrity-protected resources, but it can degrade availability of the booking functionality or related site behavior.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of capability or nonce checks on plugin handlers. WordPress plugins must verify user capabilities using functions such as current_user_can() and validate request origin with check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). When these checks are missing, any unauthenticated visitor can invoke the underlying handler logic.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints exposed by the WordPress site. Because no authentication or authorization is enforced, the plugin executes the requested action on behalf of the anonymous caller. The vulnerability manifests through direct invocation of plugin AJAX or admin-post handlers. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the disclosure details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-32253

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing Course Booking System actions from external IP addresses
Requests to plugin endpoints under /wp-content/plugins/course-booking-system/ without a valid session cookie
Unexpected changes to course, booking, or scheduling records without a corresponding administrator login event

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress sites and enumerate installed versions of the course-booking-system plugin; flag any at or below 6.1
Enable verbose WordPress access logging and correlate anonymous requests to plugin AJAX handlers with resulting database modifications
Deploy a web application firewall rule to alert on unauthenticated invocations of plugin-specific action parameters

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor the WordPress wp_options, booking, and course tables for unexplained modifications outside administrator sessions
Track HTTP 200 responses to admin-ajax.php originating from IPs that never authenticated to /wp-login.php
Review plugin update status weekly and alert when sites remain on versions at or below 6.1

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-32253

Immediate Actions Required

Update the ComMotion Course Booking System plugin to a version above 6.1 as soon as the vendor publishes a patched release
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php at the WAF or reverse proxy for anonymous users where feasible
Audit booking and course data for unauthorized entries created since the plugin was installed

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for vendor patch status. The advisory identifies affected versions through 6.1. Site administrators should apply the fixed release from the WordPress plugin repository once available and verify the plugin version through the WordPress admin dashboard.

Workarounds

Deactivate the course-booking-system plugin until a fixed version is installed if booking functionality is not business-critical
Place the WordPress site behind a WAF and block unauthenticated requests to plugin AJAX endpoints associated with course booking actions
Restrict access to the WordPress site by IP allowlist during the exposure window if the site serves a limited user base

bash

# Example: block unauthenticated access to plugin endpoints via nginx
location ~* /wp-content/plugins/course-booking-system/ {
    deny all;
    return 403;
}