CVE-2025-47580: Front End Users Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-47580 Overview

CVE-2025-47580 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Rustaurius Front End Users WordPress plugin (also known as front-end-only-users). The flaw affects all versions up to and including 3.2.35. Attackers can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to reach functionality that should require authentication or elevated privileges. The issue is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and is classified as sensitive data exposure by the upstream advisory.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network attackers can access protected resources managed by the plugin, leading to confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

Etoilewebdesign Front End Users WordPress plugin (front-end-only-users)
All versions from initial release through 3.2.35
WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin installed and activated

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-15 - CVE-2025-47580 published to NVD
2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-47580

Vulnerability Analysis

The Front End Users plugin extends WordPress with front-end registration, login, and profile management features. The plugin exposes endpoints and actions that handle user data and account operations. CVE-2025-47580 stems from missing authorization checks on one or more of these endpoints, meaning the plugin trusts request inputs without verifying whether the caller holds the required capability or session context.

Because the attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction, any remote actor can issue crafted HTTP requests to the WordPress site. The Patchstack advisory categorizes the resulting behavior as sensitive data exposure, indicating that protected user information can be retrieved through these unauthorized requests. The EPSS score is 0.268% with a percentile of 50.305.

Root Cause

The root cause is an access control failure described by CWE-862. Plugin handlers do not call WordPress capability checks such as current_user_can() or validate nonces before performing privileged operations. As a result, the security level enforced by the plugin does not match the sensitivity of the action being executed.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends HTTP requests to the vulnerable WordPress endpoint exposed by the plugin. No credentials, tokens, or interactive steps are required. The handler processes the request and returns or modifies data that should have been restricted to authenticated users or administrators. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for technical details.

No public proof-of-concept code has been released. The vulnerability is described in prose only because no verified exploit examples are available.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47580

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated HTTP requests to plugin endpoints under /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or /wp-json/ referencing front-end-only-users actions.
Outbound responses containing user profile fields, email addresses, or meta data returned to anonymous sessions.
Unexpected reads or modifications of WordPress user records correlated with plugin AJAX actions.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for repeated requests to plugin handlers from a single IP without an authenticated session cookie.
Alert when WordPress AJAX actions tied to the Front End Users plugin return non-empty payloads to requests lacking wordpress_logged_in_* cookies.
Compare installed plugin versions against 3.2.35 and flag any matching or earlier installations.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to capture user enumeration, profile reads, and capability changes.
Forward web application firewall and reverse proxy logs to a central data lake for correlation across sites.
Track anomalous request volumes to admin-ajax.php endpoints associated with the plugin.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47580

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Front End Users plugin to a version newer than 3.2.35 once available from the vendor.
Audit existing WordPress user accounts for unauthorized changes or exposed profile data.
Restrict access to plugin endpoints behind a web application firewall while patching is in progress.

Patch Information

The Patchstack advisory tracks the fix for versions through 3.2.35. Site administrators should monitor the plugin page in the WordPress repository and apply the next release that addresses the missing authorization check. Confirm the patched version before re-enabling external access. Reference: Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the Front End Users plugin until a fixed version is installed.
Block unauthenticated requests to plugin AJAX and REST endpoints at the WAF or reverse proxy layer.
Limit access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php actions tied to the plugin using server-side allowlists.

bash

# Configuration example: block unauthenticated access to plugin AJAX actions in nginx
location = /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php {
    if ($arg_action ~* "^(feou_|frontend_users_)") {
        if ($http_cookie !~* "wordpress_logged_in_") {
            return 403;
        }
    }
}