CVE-2025-67969: WooCommerce UPI QR Code Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-67969 Overview

CVE-2025-67969 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability affecting the UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce plugin developed by knitpay. This WordPress plugin, which provides UPI-based QR code payment functionality for WooCommerce stores, contains a broken access control flaw that allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels. The vulnerability enables unauthorized access to functionality that should be restricted, potentially compromising store operations and payment data integrity.

Critical Impact

Unauthorized users can bypass access controls to access restricted functionality in the payment gateway plugin, potentially leading to information disclosure and service disruption for WooCommerce stores processing UPI payments.

Affected Products

• UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce versions up to and including 1.5.1
• WordPress sites running the upi-qr-code-payment-for-woocommerce plugin
• WooCommerce stores utilizing UPI QR code payment processing

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE-2025-67969 published to NVD
• 2026-02-25 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-67969

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), a critical security weakness where the application fails to perform authorization checks before granting access to protected functionality. In the context of the UPI QR Code Payment Gateway plugin, certain actions or endpoints that should require proper authentication and authorization can be accessed by unauthenticated or unauthorized users.

The flaw exists in versions from the initial release through version 1.5.1 of the plugin. When exploited, attackers can potentially access payment-related functionality, view sensitive configuration data, or manipulate payment processing behavior without proper credentials.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of proper authorization checks in the plugin's access control implementation. WordPress plugins typically rely on capability checks (using functions like current_user_can()) and nonce verification to ensure that only authorized users can perform sensitive actions. The UPI QR Code Payment Gateway plugin fails to implement these checks adequately, allowing unauthorized access to protected resources.

This type of flaw commonly occurs when developers assume that hiding functionality from the user interface is sufficient protection, without implementing server-side authorization validation. In payment gateway plugins, this oversight is particularly dangerous as it can expose financial operations to manipulation.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring no authentication and no user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely by directly accessing unprotected endpoints or AJAX actions exposed by the plugin.

The exploitation process typically involves:

1. Identifying unprotected AJAX handlers or REST API endpoints registered by the plugin
2. Crafting requests to these endpoints without valid authentication tokens or capabilities
3. Accessing or manipulating payment gateway functionality that should be restricted to administrators or shop managers

Since the vulnerability requires no privileges and can be exploited over the network, any WooCommerce store running an affected version is potentially at risk from internet-based attackers.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-67969

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected access to payment gateway configuration pages from unauthenticated sessions
• Anomalous API requests to UPI QR code plugin endpoints without valid WordPress authentication cookies
• Unusual modifications to payment gateway settings or transaction records
• Log entries showing access to administrative plugin functions from unexpected IP addresses

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress access logs for direct requests to admin-ajax.php with actions related to the UPI QR code plugin from unauthenticated users
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block unauthorized access attempts to payment plugin endpoints
• Review plugin audit logs for configuration changes made without corresponding administrator sessions
• Use WordPress security plugins to monitor for capability bypass attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all WooCommerce payment gateway activities
• Configure alerts for access to payment plugin settings from non-administrator accounts
• Implement real-time monitoring for changes to payment gateway configuration files
• Regularly audit user access patterns to identify potential exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-67969

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce plugin to a patched version if available
• If no patch is available, consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a fix is released
• Review recent payment gateway activity for signs of unauthorized access
• Implement additional access controls at the web server or WAF level to restrict access to plugin endpoints
• Audit your WordPress site for any unauthorized configuration changes

Patch Information

For detailed patch information and vulnerability specifics, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report. Store administrators should monitor the WordPress plugin repository for updated versions of the UPI QR Code Payment Gateway plugin that address this access control vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Implement server-level access restrictions to limit who can access WordPress admin AJAX endpoints
• Use a WordPress security plugin with virtual patching capabilities to add authorization checks
• Consider using an alternative UPI payment gateway plugin until the vulnerability is resolved
• Restrict access to the WordPress admin area by IP address if feasible for your environment

The following .htaccess configuration can help restrict access to WordPress AJAX handlers:

# Restrict admin-ajax.php access for specific plugin actions
<Files admin-ajax.php>
    <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
        RewriteEngine On
        RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} POST
        RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^https?://(www\.)?yourdomain\.com [NC]
        RewriteRule ^ - [F,L]
    </IfModule>
</Files>