CVE-2025-52824: Mobile DJ Manager Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-52824 Overview

CVE-2025-52824 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the MDJM Mobile DJ Manager plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.7.8.3 and stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels [CWE-862]. Authenticated attackers with low-privilege accounts can invoke plugin functionality that should be restricted to administrators, resulting in privilege escalation on the WordPress site.

The vulnerability carries a high severity rating and can be exploited remotely over the network without user interaction. Successful exploitation compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress installation.

Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker with minimal privileges can escalate to administrative capabilities within WordPress sites running the Mobile DJ Manager plugin, leading to full site compromise.

Affected Products

MDJM Mobile DJ Manager plugin (mobile-dj-manager) for WordPress
All versions from n/a through 1.7.8.3
WordPress sites with the plugin installed and any authenticated user role available

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-27 - CVE-2025-52824 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-52824

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Mobile DJ Manager plugin's handling of privileged actions. The plugin exposes functionality through WordPress action hooks and AJAX endpoints without enforcing proper capability checks. Authenticated users with roles below administrator can invoke these endpoints and perform operations reserved for higher-privileged accounts.

Missing authorization vulnerabilities like this one occur when code paths verify only that a user is logged in, rather than verifying the user holds the specific capability required for the action. The plugin's access control logic does not consistently call current_user_can() or verify nonce-bound capability contexts before executing sensitive operations.

Because the attack vector is network-based and requires only low privileges, any WordPress site allowing subscriber, contributor, or customer registration on a site running this plugin becomes exposed. This includes many event-management and booking-oriented WordPress deployments where the plugin is typically installed.

Root Cause

The root cause is a broken access control pattern classified as [CWE-862] Missing Authorization. Plugin request handlers execute privileged logic without validating that the calling user possesses the required WordPress capability. Authentication alone is treated as sufficient authorization.

Attack Vector

An attacker first obtains any authenticated WordPress account on the target site. The attacker then sends crafted HTTP requests to plugin action endpoints that lack capability checks. These requests execute privileged operations under the attacker's session, enabling privilege escalation as described in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available at time of publication, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS score indicates a low near-term probability of observed exploitation, though this can change once the flaw is analyzed by exploit developers.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-52824

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected role changes or new administrator accounts created on WordPress sites running Mobile DJ Manager
Requests to admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php containing MDJM action parameters (prefixes such as mdjm_) originating from low-privilege sessions
Modifications to MDJM plugin data, event records, or user meta from accounts that should not have edit capabilities
New or unexpected plugin, theme, or PHP file writes following authenticated activity from non-admin users

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress installations and identify sites using mobile-dj-manager at version 1.7.8.3 or earlier
Correlate WordPress user activity logs with HTTP access logs to flag low-privilege accounts invoking MDJM administrative actions
Alert on capability changes in wp_usermeta and on role assignments made outside of expected administrative workflows
Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that inspect POST parameters for MDJM action names invoked by non-administrator sessions

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to record role changes, plugin option updates, and privileged action invocations
Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized analytics platform for behavioral correlation across authenticated sessions
Monitor outbound traffic from the web server for signs of post-exploitation activity such as webshell callbacks or data exfiltration
Track authentication events for newly registered low-privilege accounts that quickly transition to administrative activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-52824

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Mobile DJ Manager plugin to a version later than 1.7.8.3 as soon as a fixed release is available from the vendor
Audit all WordPress user accounts and remove any unexpected administrator or elevated-role users
Rotate credentials for all administrator accounts and enforce multi-factor authentication on privileged users
Review recent plugin, theme, and core file changes for unauthorized modifications and restore from known-good backups if tampering is found

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest patch status. Site administrators should apply the vendor-released fixed version once published on the WordPress plugin repository and validate the plugin version reported by wp plugin list after upgrade.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the Mobile DJ Manager plugin until a patched version is installed
Disable open user registration and restrict account creation to trusted administrators to reduce the pool of potential attackers
Deploy WAF rules that block requests to MDJM AJAX and admin-post action endpoints from sessions lacking administrator capabilities
Restrict access to /wp-admin/ and admin-ajax.php by IP where operationally feasible

bash

# Configuration example: temporarily disable the plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate mobile-dj-manager

# Verify current installed version
wp plugin get mobile-dj-manager --field=version

# After the vendor releases a fixed version, update and reactivate
wp plugin update mobile-dj-manager
wp plugin activate mobile-dj-manager