CVE-2025-49236: Raychat Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-49236 Overview

CVE-2025-49236 is a missing authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] affecting the Raychat WordPress plugin through version 2.1.0. The flaw allows unauthenticated network attackers to access plugin functionality that should be restricted by access control lists. The vulnerability stems from broken access control on plugin endpoints, enabling limited integrity impact without requiring privileges or user interaction.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can access functionality not properly constrained by ACLs in the Raychat plugin, allowing modification of plugin state or configuration data.

Affected Products

Raychat WordPress plugin versions up to and including 2.1.0
WordPress installations using the Raychat live chat integration
Sites exposing Raychat plugin endpoints to the public internet

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-06 - CVE-2025-49236 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49236

Vulnerability Analysis

The Raychat WordPress plugin fails to enforce authorization checks on one or more of its exposed functions. This class of flaw, tracked as [CWE-862] Missing Authorization, occurs when application code performs sensitive operations without verifying the requester's permissions. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without authentication or user interaction.

Attackers can invoke restricted plugin functionality by issuing direct HTTP requests to the affected endpoints. The impact is limited to integrity, meaning attackers can modify certain plugin state or data but cannot directly read confidential information or cause service disruption through this flaw alone.

The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) currently ranks CVE-2025-49236 in the lower probability range for near-term exploitation. No public proof-of-concept exploit or CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listing exists at this time.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of capability or nonce checks on Raychat plugin action handlers. WordPress plugins must validate user capabilities using functions such as current_user_can() and verify request authenticity with check_ajax_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). When these checks are missing, any network client can trigger privileged plugin actions.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires only network access to the target WordPress site. An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints, invoking the unprotected functionality. No credentials, session, or user interaction are required. See the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for endpoint-specific technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49236

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated POST or GET requests to Raychat plugin AJAX endpoints such as /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with Raychat-specific action parameters
Unexpected modifications to Raychat plugin settings in the WordPress wp_options table
Requests to Raychat plugin routes originating from IP addresses without corresponding administrator session cookies

Detection Strategies

Review web server access logs for requests targeting Raychat plugin action handlers without a preceding authenticated admin session
Monitor the WordPress wp_options table for unauthorized changes to Raychat configuration keys
Enforce a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks unauthenticated calls to plugin AJAX actions associated with Raychat

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to track plugin setting changes and administrative actions
Alert on anomalous request volumes to admin-ajax.php referencing Raychat action names
Correlate plugin configuration changes with authenticated admin sessions to identify unauthorized modifications

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49236

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress sites running the Raychat plugin at version 2.1.0 or earlier
Deactivate the Raychat plugin until a patched version is installed if the site is publicly reachable
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php at the WAF or reverse proxy layer for Raychat-specific action parameters

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the vendor advisory tracked in the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report lists all versions up to and including 2.1.0 as affected. Administrators should upgrade to a version released after 2.1.0 once available from the plugin author. Verify the fix by confirming capability and nonce checks are present in the plugin's action handlers.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the Raychat plugin until an updated release is available
Deploy WAF rules to block unauthenticated requests to Raychat AJAX actions
Restrict admin-ajax.php access to authenticated sessions where feasible using server-level access controls

bash

# Example WAF rule concept: block unauthenticated Raychat AJAX actions
# ModSecurity pseudo-rule
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" \
  "chain,deny,status:403,id:1002025,\
   msg:'Block unauthenticated Raychat plugin action'"
  SecRule ARGS:action "@rx ^raychat_" \
    "chain"
    SecRule &REQUEST_COOKIES:wordpress_logged_in_ "@eq 0"