CVE-2025-46470 Overview
CVE-2025-46470 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Smart Hashtags [#hashtagger] WordPress plugin by Peter Raschendorfer. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 7.2.3. Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to perform actions beyond their assigned role. The issue is categorized under [CWE-862] (Missing Authorization) and is exploitable over the network without user interaction. Successful exploitation impacts integrity but does not directly expose confidential data or degrade availability.
Critical Impact
Low-privileged authenticated users can bypass access control checks in the Smart Hashtags plugin and modify plugin state or data reserved for higher-privileged roles.
Affected Products
- Smart Hashtags [#hashtagger] WordPress plugin versions up to and including 7.2.3
- WordPress installations with the plugin active and low-privileged accounts enabled
- Sites permitting subscriber, contributor, or author-level registration without additional access hardening
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-24 - CVE-2025-46470 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-46470
Vulnerability Analysis
The Smart Hashtags [#hashtagger] plugin exposes one or more actions that fail to enforce proper capability checks. WordPress plugins typically gate sensitive operations behind current_user_can() checks and nonce validation. When these checks are missing or misconfigured, any authenticated session — including subscriber accounts — can invoke privileged handlers. The result is a broken access control condition where role boundaries are not honored at the server side.
The attack surface is reachable over the network through standard WordPress endpoints such as admin-ajax.php or REST routes. Because the CVSS vector requires low privileges (PR:L), an attacker must first authenticate. On sites that allow open registration, this barrier is trivial to overcome.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing authorization check on plugin action handlers. The plugin registers callbacks that execute privileged operations without verifying that the caller holds an appropriate WordPress capability such as manage_options or edit_posts. This falls squarely within the pattern described by [CWE-862].
Attack Vector
An attacker authenticates as a low-privileged WordPress user and issues crafted requests to the vulnerable plugin action. Because the handler does not verify the caller's role or capability, the request executes as if issued by an administrator-level user. Impact is limited to integrity (I:L), meaning attackers can modify plugin-controlled data or configuration but cannot directly read confidential records or take the site offline through this issue alone.
Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-46470
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Smart Hashtags plugin configuration, hashtag lists, or associated post metadata
- Requests to admin-ajax.php or plugin-specific REST endpoints originating from subscriber or contributor accounts
- New or modified hashtag entries created outside normal editorial workflows
Detection Strategies
- Audit WordPress activity logs for plugin action calls performed by users without editor or administrator roles
- Correlate authentication events with subsequent privileged plugin actions to surface role escalation attempts
- Review web server access logs for repeated POST requests to hashtagger-related endpoints from a single low-privileged session
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress audit logging plugin to record capability-sensitive actions and user role context
- Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation across authentication and application layers
- Alert on anomalous spikes in plugin AJAX or REST traffic tied to non-administrative sessions
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-46470
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Smart Hashtags [#hashtagger] plugin to a version released after 7.2.3 once available from the vendor
- Disable or remove the plugin on sites that cannot be updated immediately
- Restrict new user registration and review existing low-privileged accounts for unexpected activity
Patch Information
At the time of the last NVD update, the advisory tracked the vulnerability through version 7.2.3 with no fixed version explicitly identified in the NVD record. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin's official WordPress.org listing for the latest fixed release before deploying.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the Smart Hashtags [#hashtagger] plugin until a patched version is installed
- Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints from non-administrator sessions
- Enforce least-privilege on WordPress roles and require multi-factor authentication for all accounts that can reach the admin area
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.