CVE-2025-66133: WP Cookie Notice Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-66133 Overview

CVE-2025-66133 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the WP Legal Pages WP Cookie Notice for GDPR, CCPA & ePrivacy Consent WordPress plugin (slug gdpr-cookie-consent). The flaw stems from incorrectly configured access control on plugin functionality, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reach actions that should require elevated privileges. It affects all versions up to and including 4.0.7. The issue is tracked under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and is reachable over the network without user interaction.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network attackers can invoke plugin functionality without proper authorization checks, resulting in limited integrity impact on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

WP Legal Pages WP Cookie Notice for GDPR, CCPA & ePrivacy Consent plugin (gdpr-cookie-consent)
Versions from n/a through <= 4.0.7
WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin

Discovery Timeline

2025-12-16 - CVE-2025-66133 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-66133

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a broken access control issue in the gdpr-cookie-consent plugin. One or more plugin endpoints fail to verify the caller's capability or nonce before executing privileged operations. According to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report, the flaw is classified as broken access control affecting plugin versions up to 4.0.7.

The scope is unchanged and the impact is limited to integrity. Confidentiality and availability are not directly affected. This aligns with a pattern where an unauthenticated actor can modify plugin state or trigger administrative actions but cannot directly exfiltrate data or crash the site. The EPSS probability is low, indicating limited observed exploitation activity at the time of publication.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing authorization checks. WordPress plugins typically guard privileged AJAX or REST endpoints using current_user_can() capability checks and nonce validation via check_ajax_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). In the affected plugin, one or more handlers omit or incorrectly configure these checks, treating an unauthenticated request as sufficient to perform actions reserved for administrators.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based with low complexity and no privileges or user interaction required. An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request directly to the vulnerable plugin endpoint on the target WordPress site. Because the endpoint does not enforce authorization, the request is processed as if it came from an authorized user. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for endpoint-level details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-66133

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing gdpr-cookie-consent action names.
Unexpected modifications to plugin settings, cookie categories, or consent banner configuration in wp_options.
Requests to plugin REST routes under /wp-json/ originating from unauthenticated sessions.
Access log entries showing repeated calls to plugin endpoints from a single IP without prior authentication cookies.

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress installations and identify sites running gdpr-cookie-consent at version 4.0.7 or earlier.
Review web server access logs for requests targeting plugin AJAX or REST endpoints without authenticated session cookies.
Compare current plugin settings against a known-good baseline to detect unauthorized changes.
Enable WordPress audit logging to record option updates and plugin configuration changes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on admin-ajax.php requests carrying gdpr-cookie-consent action parameters from unauthenticated sources.
Monitor wp_options row changes tied to the plugin namespace for anomalous frequency or values.
Track outbound HTTP anomalies from the WordPress host that could indicate follow-on activity after configuration tampering.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-66133

Immediate Actions Required

Update gdpr-cookie-consent to a version newer than 4.0.7 as soon as a patched release is available from WP Legal Pages.
Restrict access to wp-admin/ and admin-ajax.php from untrusted networks using a web application firewall or reverse proxy rules.
Audit plugin configuration and consent-related settings for unauthorized modifications.
Rotate WordPress administrator credentials and API keys if tampering is confirmed.

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest fixed version guidance. Apply the vendor update through the WordPress plugin manager or by replacing the plugin directory with the patched release.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the gdpr-cookie-consent plugin until a fixed version is installed.
Deploy WAF rules that block unauthenticated requests to plugin-specific admin-ajax.php actions and REST routes.
Enforce IP allow-listing on the WordPress administrative interface.

bash

# Example WP-CLI check for plugin version and deactivation
wp plugin get gdpr-cookie-consent --field=version
wp plugin deactivate gdpr-cookie-consent