CVE-2025-53318: WP DB Booster Authorization Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-53318 Overview

CVE-2025-53318 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WPManiax WP DB Booster plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.0.1. The plugin fails to enforce proper access control checks, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to access functionality that should be restricted. This weakness maps to CWE-862: Missing Authorization. The vulnerability was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on June 27, 2025.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can exploit incorrectly configured access controls in WP DB Booster to reach restricted plugin functionality, resulting in limited confidentiality and availability impact on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

• WPManiax WP DB Booster plugin for WordPress
• All versions from n/a through 1.0.1
• WordPress sites with the wp-db-booster plugin installed and activated

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-27 - CVE-2025-53318 published to NVD
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-53318

Vulnerability Analysis

The WP DB Booster plugin exposes plugin actions without validating whether the requesting user holds the required capability. WordPress plugins typically gate administrative actions with current_user_can() checks or nonce verification via check_admin_referer(). When these checks are missing or misconfigured, any authenticated user can invoke privileged handlers.

In this case, the plugin's access control logic treats authentication as sufficient authorization. A subscriber-level account can therefore reach endpoints intended for administrators. The result is limited disclosure of information and potential disruption of plugin-managed database optimization operations.

The scope remains unchanged, meaning the impact is confined to the vulnerable component. Integrity is not directly affected, but confidentiality and availability of plugin-controlled resources are.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check on plugin action handlers. The plugin registers action hooks or AJAX endpoints without validating the caller's capability against required roles. This is a classic instance of CWE-862, where the code performs an action without first confirming the actor is authorized.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the target WordPress site and a valid low-privilege account, such as a subscriber. The attacker sends a crafted request to the exposed plugin endpoint. Because the handler does not verify user capabilities, the request executes with plugin-level access. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own authenticated session. Full technical details are documented in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-53318

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected requests to wp-db-booster plugin endpoints originating from low-privilege user sessions
• WordPress admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php requests referencing WP DB Booster actions from subscriber accounts
• Unusual database optimization or maintenance events not initiated by administrators

Detection Strategies

• Audit WordPress access logs for authenticated requests targeting wp-db-booster paths by non-administrator accounts
• Monitor for HTTP POST requests to plugin AJAX handlers correlated with low-privilege session cookies
• Compare active plugin version against the fixed release to identify vulnerable installations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging to capture plugin action invocations with user role context
• Forward web server and WordPress logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation across authentication and plugin activity
• Alert on privilege-context mismatches, such as subscribers invoking administrative plugin endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-53318

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all WordPress sites running the WP DB Booster plugin at version 1.0.1 or earlier
• Deactivate and remove the plugin if a patched version is not yet available or not required
• Review user accounts and revoke unnecessary low-privilege accounts that could be leveraged for exploitation
• Rotate credentials for accounts showing signs of unauthorized plugin activity

Patch Information

At the time of the NVD publication, the advisory lists affected versions from n/a through 1.0.1. Site operators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the WordPress plugin repository for the latest fixed release and apply it as soon as it is available.

Workarounds

• Disable the WP DB Booster plugin until a patched version is installed
• Restrict access to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and wp-admin/admin-post.php at the web application firewall (WAF) layer for non-administrator sessions
• Enforce the principle of least privilege and remove unused subscriber or contributor accounts
• Apply virtual patching rules at the WAF to block requests targeting vulnerable WP DB Booster endpoints

# Example: WAF rule concept to block low-privilege access to plugin endpoints
# Deny requests to wp-db-booster AJAX actions unless the session has administrator role
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains wp-db-booster" \
    "phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'Block unauthorized WP DB Booster access'"