CVE-2025-60166: WP Subscription Forms PRO Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-60166 Overview

CVE-2025-60166 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the wpshuffle WP Subscription Forms PRO plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.0.5. The plugin fails to enforce proper access control checks on sensitive operations, enabling authenticated users with low privileges to trigger arbitrary content deletion. The issue is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and was published to the National Vulnerability Database on September 26, 2025.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers holding low-privilege WordPress accounts can delete arbitrary content on affected sites, compromising integrity of subscription forms and related data.

Affected Products

WP Subscription Forms PRO plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 2.0.5
WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin activated
Installations relying on default plugin capability checks

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-26 - CVE-2025-60166 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-60166

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from incorrectly configured access control on plugin actions exposed to authenticated WordPress users. WP Subscription Forms PRO exposes functionality that modifies or deletes content without verifying the caller holds the required capability. An attacker with a low-privilege account, such as a subscriber or contributor, can invoke the exposed action and trigger deletion of arbitrary content managed through the plugin.

The issue falls under CWE-862: Missing Authorization. Missing authorization vulnerabilities occur when application logic performs sensitive operations without confirming the actor is entitled to invoke them. In WordPress plugin contexts, this typically means an AJAX handler or REST endpoint lacks a current_user_can() check or fails to validate a matching nonce alongside capability enforcement.

The attack requires low privileges and no user interaction. The confidentiality impact is none, but integrity is affected because deleted content cannot be recovered without backups. Availability of the affected content is indirectly disrupted.

Root Cause

The root cause is the plugin's failure to enforce capability checks on content-modifying operations. The handler treats an authenticated session as sufficient authorization instead of validating that the caller has the specific privilege required for the deletion action.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploited over the network by an authenticated user. The attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint using valid session credentials for a low-privilege account. The server executes the deletion without verifying the required capability, removing targeted content. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-60166

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected deletion of subscription forms, subscriber records, or related plugin content
WordPress audit log entries showing content deletion actions performed by low-privilege accounts
HTTP POST requests to WP Subscription Forms PRO AJAX or REST endpoints originating from subscriber-level sessions
Missing entries in plugin database tables without corresponding administrator activity

Detection Strategies

Enumerate installed WordPress plugins and flag WP Subscription Forms PRO installations at version 2.0.5 or earlier
Monitor web server access logs for requests to the plugin's admin-ajax or REST routes from sessions lacking administrator roles
Correlate WordPress user activity logs with content changes to identify privilege mismatches

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to capture user actions with role and capability context
Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for behavioral analysis of low-privilege account activity
Alert on bulk deletion operations targeting plugin-managed content within short time windows

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-60166

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress installations running WP Subscription Forms PRO at version 2.0.5 or earlier
Restrict new user registration and audit existing low-privilege accounts on affected sites
Back up plugin data and the WordPress database before applying updates or containment steps
Review recent content changes for signs of unauthorized deletion

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the wpshuffle vendor channel for the corrected release. Update WP Subscription Forms PRO to a version newer than 2.0.5 once available from the vendor.

Workarounds

Deactivate WP Subscription Forms PRO until a patched version is installed
Block access to the plugin's AJAX and REST endpoints for non-administrator roles using a Web Application Firewall
Enforce strong role separation and remove unnecessary subscriber-level accounts
Restore deleted content from recent backups if unauthorized deletion is detected

bash

# Example WAF rule concept: block plugin AJAX actions for unauthenticated or low-privilege sessions
# Replace <action_name> with the specific plugin action identifier
Location /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
  SecRule ARGS:action "@streq <action_name>" \
    "id:1060166,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'Block WP Subscription Forms PRO action pending patch'"