CVE-2025-58193: Uncanny Automator Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-58193 Overview

CVE-2025-58193 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the Uncanny Automator WordPress plugin developed by Uncanny Owl. The flaw affects all versions of uncanny-automator up to and including 6.7.0.1. The plugin fails to properly enforce access control checks on protected functionality, allowing authenticated users with low-level privileges to interact with resources reserved for higher-privileged roles. The weakness is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access can exploit incorrectly configured access control checks to perform actions outside their intended privilege scope, resulting in integrity impact on affected WordPress installations.

Affected Products

Uncanny Automator plugin for WordPress (all versions from n/a through 6.7.0.1)
WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of uncanny-automator
Both free and Pro editions built on the affected plugin codebase

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-27 - CVE-2025-58193 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-58193

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks within one or more request handlers exposed by the Uncanny Automator plugin. WordPress plugins that expose AJAX or REST endpoints must validate both nonce tokens and user capabilities before executing privileged operations. Uncanny Automator implements security level checks incorrectly, allowing requests from authenticated users who should not have access.

The attack is exploitable over the network by any user holding valid credentials. Successful exploitation impacts integrity by allowing unauthorized modifications to plugin state, automations, or configuration. Confidentiality and availability are not directly affected according to the published vector.

The EPSS probability sits at 0.198%, indicating limited likelihood of exploitation in the near term. However, WordPress plugin flaws are routinely weaponized in mass scanning campaigns targeting outdated installations.

Root Cause

The root cause is an incorrectly configured access control layer within the plugin. Request handlers rely on assumptions about caller privileges rather than performing explicit current_user_can() capability checks or equivalent role verification. This pattern is a common failure mode across WordPress plugins that expose administrative logic through AJAX actions or REST routes without gating them behind capability guards.

Attack Vector

An attacker requires only low-privileged authenticated access, such as a subscriber account, on a WordPress site running a vulnerable version of the plugin. The attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the affected plugin endpoints. Because the endpoints do not enforce proper role or capability checks, the server processes the request as if it originated from an authorized user, leading to unauthorized state changes.

See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context and the specific vulnerable endpoints.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58193

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected modifications to Uncanny Automator recipes, triggers, or actions performed by low-privileged accounts
HTTP POST requests to admin-ajax.php or plugin REST routes originating from subscriber-level sessions
New or altered automation workflows created outside normal administrative activity windows
WordPress audit log entries showing capability-restricted actions attributed to non-administrator users

Detection Strategies

Inventory all WordPress installations and identify sites running uncanny-automator at version 6.7.0.1 or earlier
Review web server access logs for repeated requests to Uncanny Automator AJAX or REST endpoints from the same authenticated session
Deploy a WordPress activity logging plugin to capture role-based action attribution and flag anomalies
Correlate authentication events with subsequent plugin API activity to identify privilege boundary violations

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on any state-changing plugin API calls executed under non-administrator user contexts
Monitor for account enumeration or newly registered subscriber accounts followed by immediate plugin API activity
Track version drift across managed WordPress fleets to catch unpatched installations quickly

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58193

Immediate Actions Required

Update Uncanny Automator to a version released after 6.7.0.1 that addresses the missing authorization flaw
Audit existing user accounts and remove unnecessary subscriber or contributor accounts that could be leveraged for exploitation
Review Uncanny Automator recipes and configurations for unauthorized modifications made prior to patching
Rotate credentials for any account showing suspicious plugin API interaction

Patch Information

Uncanny Owl has addressed the vulnerability in versions released after 6.7.0.1. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin changelog on WordPress.org for the specific fixed version and remediation notes.

Workarounds

Restrict user registration on WordPress sites where subscriber accounts are not operationally required
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with WordPress plugin rulesets to block anomalous requests to uncanny-automator endpoints
Temporarily deactivate the Uncanny Automator plugin on sites where an immediate update is not feasible
Enforce least-privilege role assignments and periodically audit capability grants across all user accounts

bash

# Update Uncanny Automator via WP-CLI on affected WordPress installations
wp plugin update uncanny-automator --path=/var/www/html

# Verify installed plugin version after update
wp plugin get uncanny-automator --field=version --path=/var/www/html

# Disable the plugin if patching cannot be performed immediately
wp plugin deactivate uncanny-automator --path=/var/www/html