CVE-2025-57939: Elementor Image Hover Effects Addon Bypass

CVE-2025-57939 Overview

CVE-2025-57939 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Blocksera Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.4.4. Attackers can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to interact with plugin functionality that should require authenticated privileges. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-862] Missing Authorization and is exploitable over the network without user interaction or authentication. Successful exploitation results in a limited integrity impact on the affected WordPress site. Patchstack published the advisory documenting the broken access control condition in the plugin.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network attackers can invoke protected plugin actions due to missing capability checks, leading to unauthorized modification of plugin data.

Affected Products

Blocksera Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon (image-hover-effects-addon-for-elementor)
All versions from n/a through 1.4.4
WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin with Elementor

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-22 - CVE-2025-57939 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-57939

Vulnerability Analysis

The Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon plugin exposes one or more action handlers that fail to verify the caller's capabilities or authorization state. WordPress plugins typically register AJAX handlers or REST endpoints that must validate the requesting user through current_user_can() or a nonce check. When these checks are absent, any unauthenticated visitor can invoke the handler by sending a crafted HTTP request.

The advisory classifies the issue as broken access control resulting from incorrectly configured access control security levels. The impact scope is limited to integrity, meaning attackers can alter plugin state or content but cannot directly read confidential data or crash the site.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization check [CWE-862] on plugin action handlers. Developers registered the endpoints without wrapping them in a permission callback or capability verification. Requests that reach these handlers execute with implicit trust, bypassing the WordPress role and capability model.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a network request to the vulnerable WordPress installation targeting the plugin's exposed endpoint. No prior authentication, credentials, or user interaction are required. The attacker crafts parameters accepted by the handler and receives a normal response confirming the unauthorized action. The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) currently rates this vulnerability at 0.334% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57939

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected POST requests to admin-ajax.php referencing the plugin's action name from unauthenticated sessions
Unauthorized modifications to Elementor widget configurations or plugin settings without a corresponding admin login event
Web server logs showing repeated requests to plugin endpoints from a single external IP address

Detection Strategies

Audit installed plugin versions across WordPress sites and flag any instance of image-hover-effects-addon-for-elementor at version 1.4.4 or earlier
Inspect access logs for requests to plugin AJAX or REST routes originating from unauthenticated clients
Compare current plugin settings against known-good baselines to detect unauthorized modifications

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to record changes to plugin options and post metadata
Alert on HTTP 200 responses from plugin endpoints when the request lacks a valid wp_nonce parameter
Monitor for spikes in traffic to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the plugin's action parameter

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57939

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon plugin to a version later than 1.4.4 once released by Blocksera
Deactivate and remove the plugin if no fixed version is available and the functionality is not business-critical
Review the WordPress site for unauthorized configuration changes made through the vulnerable endpoints

Patch Information

At the time of the advisory, versions through 1.4.4 are affected. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin's WordPress.org page for the latest fixed release.

Workarounds

Restrict access to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php at the web application firewall (WAF) layer for the plugin's specific action parameter
Apply virtual patching rules through a WAF such as Patchstack, Wordfence, or Cloudflare to block unauthorized requests to the vulnerable endpoint
Limit plugin exposure by placing the WordPress admin interface behind IP allowlists or HTTP authentication

bash

# Example WAF rule blocking unauthenticated access to the plugin action
# (adapt action name based on advisory details)
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" \
  "chain,deny,status:403,id:1057939,msg:'Block CVE-2025-57939 unauthenticated access'"
SecRule ARGS:action "@rx ^ihe_" \
  "chain"
SecRule &REQUEST_COOKIES:wordpress_logged_in "@eq 0"