CVE-2025-58597 Overview
CVE-2025-58597 is an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability in the Tomdever wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from an Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key weakness, tracked as [CWE-639]. It affects all versions of wpForo Forum up to and including 2.4.6. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can manipulate object identifiers to access or modify resources outside their intended authorization scope. The issue is network-exploitable and requires no user interaction, impacting availability of forum resources.
Critical Impact
Low-privileged authenticated users can bypass access control checks on forum objects, leading to unauthorized interaction with resources belonging to other users.
Affected Products
- Tomdever wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress
- All versions from n/a through 2.4.6
- WordPress sites running wpForo as the community forum solution
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-09-03 - CVE CVE-2025-58597 published to NVD
- 2026-09-30 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-58597
Vulnerability Analysis
The wpForo Forum plugin exposes functionality that accepts user-controlled identifiers, such as post, topic, or user keys, without properly validating whether the requesting account owns or is authorized to act on the referenced object. This pattern defines an Insecure Direct Object Reference. An attacker authenticated as a standard forum member can substitute identifiers in requests to reach resources outside their authorization scope. Because the server trusts the supplied key, access control security levels configured by administrators are effectively bypassed. The resulting impact affects availability of targeted resources, consistent with the [CWE-639] classification.
Root Cause
The plugin relies on identifiers supplied in client requests to determine the target of an operation but fails to verify that the authenticated user has permission to act on that specific object. Access decisions depend on the presence of the key rather than on an ownership or role check tied to it. This is a classic broken access control pattern in which authorization logic is incorrectly configured for user-controllable inputs.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site and a valid low-privileged account, such as a registered forum user. The attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to wpForo endpoints while substituting the object identifier parameter with a value belonging to another user. Because no user interaction is required and attack complexity is low, the vector is attractive for automated enumeration against public forums. Technical details are documented in the Patchstack advisory for the wpForo IDOR vulnerability.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available at this time. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for exploitation details.
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Stop Identity AttacksDetection Methods for CVE-2025-58597
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modifications, deletions, or state changes to forum posts, topics, or profile fields that the acting account does not own.
- HTTP requests to wpForo endpoints containing sequential or enumerated numeric identifiers from a single authenticated session.
- Spikes in admin-ajax.php or wpForo REST endpoint traffic from low-privileged accounts.
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress and web server logs for authenticated requests referencing object IDs that do not correlate with the acting user's owned resources.
- Correlate wpForo database changes with the user ID of the request initiator to surface mismatches.
- Deploy WordPress audit logging plugins that record forum object modifications with actor attribution.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor for forum content edits and deletions performed by non-moderator accounts.
- Alert on brute-force style enumeration of numeric parameters within wpForo request paths.
- Track installed wpForo plugin versions across managed WordPress sites and flag any instance at 2.4.6 or earlier.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58597
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade the wpForo Forum plugin to a version later than 2.4.6 once the vendor releases a fixed build.
- Audit forum user accounts and revoke access for suspicious or unused low-privileged users.
- Review recent forum activity logs for signs of unauthorized object access or modification.
Patch Information
The advisory tracked by Patchstack identifies all wpForo Forum versions up to and including 2.4.6 as vulnerable. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack advisory and the official wpForo plugin changelog for the fixed version number and apply the update through the WordPress plugin manager.
Workarounds
- Temporarily disable the wpForo Forum plugin on affected sites until a patched version is installed.
- Restrict forum registration and limit which user roles can perform write actions in wpForo settings.
- Place the WordPress site behind a web application firewall (WAF) with rules that validate authenticated request parameters against session identity.
# Example WP-CLI commands to inventory and update the wpForo plugin
wp plugin get wpforo --field=version
wp plugin deactivate wpforo
wp plugin update wpforo
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
