CVE-2025-3746: OTP-less WordPress Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-3746 Overview

The OTP-less one tap Sign in plugin for WordPress contains a critical privilege escalation vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to take over arbitrary user accounts, including administrators. The vulnerability exists in versions 2.0.14 through 2.0.59 due to improper validation of user identity before updating sensitive account details such as email addresses. Attackers can exploit this flaw to change any user's email address, reset their password, and gain full access to the compromised account. Additionally, the plugin returns authentication cookies directly in the response, providing an alternate path for immediate account access.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can completely take over administrator accounts on WordPress sites using the vulnerable plugin, potentially leading to full site compromise, data theft, and malicious content injection.

Affected Products

OTP-less one tap Sign in WordPress Plugin versions 2.0.14 to 2.0.59
WordPress installations using the affected plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-02 - CVE-2025-3746 published to NVD
2025-05-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-3746

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating that the plugin fails to properly verify whether a requesting user has permission to perform sensitive operations. The affected code resides in the class-login.php file within the plugin's includes directory. When a request is made to update user details, the plugin does not adequately validate that the requestor is the legitimate account owner or has appropriate authorization to modify the target user's information.

The attack requires no authentication or user interaction, making it highly exploitable from a remote network position. An attacker can craft malicious requests to modify arbitrary user email addresses without any prior credentials. Once the email is changed, standard WordPress password reset functionality can be leveraged to complete the account takeover. The vulnerability is further exacerbated by the fact that authentication cookies are returned in API responses, allowing attackers to bypass the password reset step entirely and immediately access compromised accounts.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check (CWE-862) in the user detail update functionality. The plugin processes email update requests without verifying the identity of the requesting party or confirming they have legitimate access to modify the target account. This design flaw allows any unauthenticated user to submit requests that modify critical account attributes for any registered user on the WordPress site.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires no authentication, privileges, or user interaction. An attacker can target any WordPress site running the vulnerable plugin versions by sending crafted HTTP requests to the affected endpoint. The attack flow typically involves:

Identifying a target WordPress site using the OTP-less plugin
Sending a malicious request to change the administrator's email address to an attacker-controlled address
Either using the returned authentication cookies for immediate access, or initiating a password reset to the newly assigned email
Gaining full administrative access to the WordPress site

Since the vulnerability exists in the authentication flow itself, the attacker can directly manipulate the identity verification process that the plugin was designed to secure.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-3746

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected email address changes for WordPress user accounts, especially administrators
Password reset requests for administrator accounts from unfamiliar IP addresses
Unusual login activity following email address modifications
Authentication log entries showing successful logins from unrecognized locations or IP addresses
Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful access after email/password changes

Detection Strategies

Monitor WordPress user modification logs for email address changes on privileged accounts
Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect suspicious requests to OTP-less plugin endpoints
Review HTTP access logs for unusual POST requests to plugin-specific URLs containing user modification parameters
Configure alerts for any administrative account email changes
Enable WordPress security plugins that track user profile modifications

Monitoring Recommendations

Implement real-time alerting for email address changes on administrator and editor accounts
Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for post-exploitation activity
Set up log aggregation for WordPress authentication events and user modification actions
Monitor outbound connections from the WordPress server for signs of data exfiltration or backdoor activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-3746

Immediate Actions Required

Update the OTP-less one tap Sign in plugin to a version newer than 2.0.59 if a patched version is available
If no patch is available, immediately deactivate and remove the vulnerable plugin
Audit all WordPress user accounts for unauthorized email address changes
Force password resets for all administrator and privileged user accounts
Review WordPress access logs for signs of exploitation

Patch Information

Organizations should check the WordPress Plugin Repository for updated versions of the OTP-less plugin that address this vulnerability. Additionally, consult the Wordfence Vulnerability Database for detailed remediation guidance and patch availability information.

Workarounds

Temporarily disable the OTP-less one tap Sign in plugin until a patched version is available
Implement IP-based access restrictions for WordPress administrative endpoints
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with rules to block unauthorized user modification requests
Consider alternative authentication plugins that have been security-audited
Enable WordPress multi-factor authentication as an additional security layer

bash

# WordPress CLI commands to disable the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate otpless

# Verify plugin is disabled
wp plugin list --status=active

# Force password reset for all administrators
wp user list --role=administrator --field=ID | xargs -I {} wp user reset-password {}