CVE-2025-62104: ACF Galerie 4 Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-62104 Overview

A missing authorization vulnerability has been identified in the ACF Galerie 4 WordPress plugin, developed by Navneil Naicker. This broken access control flaw allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized actions within affected WordPress installations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization checks (CWE-862), which can lead to unauthorized modifications of plugin functionality or settings.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can bypass access control mechanisms in ACF Galerie 4, potentially modifying plugin data or settings without proper authorization.

Affected Products

• ACF Galerie 4 WordPress Plugin versions through 1.4.2
• WordPress installations using vulnerable ACF Galerie 4 plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-23 - CVE CVE-2025-62104 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-62104

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as Missing Authorization (CWE-862), a broken access control weakness that occurs when software does not perform authorization checks when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In the context of the ACF Galerie 4 plugin, certain functionality lacks proper capability checks, allowing authenticated users with minimal privileges to execute actions that should be restricted to administrators or other privileged roles.

The attack vector is network-based, requiring the attacker to have at least low-level authentication (such as a subscriber account) on the target WordPress site. The attack complexity is low, meaning no special conditions or circumstances need to exist for exploitation. While the integrity impact is limited, successful exploitation could allow unauthorized modification of gallery data or plugin configurations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in missing or insufficient authorization checks within the ACF Galerie 4 plugin's code. WordPress plugins are expected to implement proper capability checks using functions like current_user_can() before allowing users to perform privileged actions. The vulnerable versions of ACF Galerie 4 fail to implement these checks for certain functionality, creating an authorization bypass condition.

Attack Vector

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the WordPress site with any valid user account, even one with minimal privileges such as a subscriber role. Once authenticated, the attacker can directly access plugin endpoints or functions that lack proper authorization checks. This could allow them to perform actions such as modifying gallery settings, manipulating gallery data, or accessing functionality intended only for administrators.

The vulnerability requires network access to the WordPress installation and authentication with valid credentials. No user interaction is required for exploitation, and the attack can be performed with low complexity. For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, see the Patchstack Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-62104

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to ACF Galerie 4 plugin settings or gallery configurations
• Suspicious AJAX requests to plugin endpoints from low-privileged user sessions
• Audit logs showing gallery modifications by users without appropriate permissions
• Unusual plugin activity patterns in WordPress access logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress audit logs for unauthorized access attempts to ACF Galerie 4 functions
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious requests to plugin endpoints
• Review user activity logs for privilege escalation attempts or unauthorized modifications
• Configure alerts for changes to plugin settings from non-administrator accounts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive WordPress activity logging to capture all user actions
• Monitor for unusual POST requests to ACF Galerie 4 plugin AJAX handlers
• Implement real-time alerting for plugin configuration changes
• Regularly audit user permissions and plugin access patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-62104

Immediate Actions Required

• Update ACF Galerie 4 to the latest available version that addresses this vulnerability
• Review and restrict user account permissions on affected WordPress installations
• Audit recent plugin activity for signs of exploitation
• Consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a patched version can be applied

Patch Information

Site administrators should check for updates to ACF Galerie 4 beyond version 1.4.2 which contains the fix for this broken access control vulnerability. Updates can be applied through the WordPress plugin update mechanism or by manually downloading and installing the latest version from the plugin repository. For more details, refer to the Patchstack vulnerability database entry.

Workarounds

• Restrict user registration on affected WordPress sites to prevent unauthorized account creation
• Review and remove unnecessary user accounts with any level of access
• Implement additional access control mechanisms at the web server level using .htaccess rules or server configuration
• Deploy a WordPress-specific WAF to add an additional layer of protection against unauthorized access attempts

# WordPress .htaccess configuration to restrict plugin access
# Add to .htaccess in WordPress root directory

# Restrict direct access to ACF Galerie 4 plugin files
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-content/plugins/acf-galerie-4/ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE} !wordpress_logged_in [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>