CVE-2025-67974: WPLegalPages Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-67974 Overview

A Missing Authorization vulnerability has been identified in the WPLegalPages WordPress plugin developed by WP Legal Pages. This broken access control flaw allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized modification of sensitive data. The vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization checks within the plugin's functionality, classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization).

Critical Impact

Unauthorized users can bypass access controls to modify website content or settings, potentially compromising the integrity of legal pages and compliance documentation on affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

• WPLegalPages plugin versions from n/a through <= 3.5.4
• WordPress installations using vulnerable WPLegalPages versions
• Websites relying on WPLegalPages for legal compliance pages (Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, etc.)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE CVE-2025-67974 published to NVD
• 2026-02-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-67974

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a critical broken access control issue in the WPLegalPages WordPress plugin. The flaw occurs when the plugin fails to properly verify user authorization before allowing access to protected functions or resources. Without proper authorization checks in place, an unauthenticated or low-privileged attacker can perform actions that should be restricted to administrators or authorized users only.

The impact primarily affects data integrity, as attackers can modify protected content without proper authorization. This is particularly concerning for a plugin designed to manage legal compliance pages, where unauthorized modifications could have regulatory and legal implications for website owners.

Root Cause

The root cause is a Missing Authorization vulnerability (CWE-862). The WPLegalPages plugin does not adequately implement authorization checks on certain endpoints or functions. When users make requests to these resources, the plugin fails to verify whether the requesting user has the necessary permissions to perform the requested action. This allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and manipulate protected functionality.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker can send specially crafted requests to the vulnerable WordPress plugin endpoints to bypass access controls. The attack can be executed remotely by any user with network access to the target WordPress installation.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Identifying a WordPress site running a vulnerable version of WPLegalPages (<= 3.5.4)
2. Sending requests to plugin endpoints that lack proper authorization checks
3. Performing unauthorized actions such as modifying legal page content or plugin settings

For detailed technical information regarding the vulnerability mechanics, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-67974

Indicators of Compromise

• Unauthorized modifications to legal pages (Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Cookie Policy, etc.) without corresponding admin activity logs
• Unexpected changes to WPLegalPages plugin settings
• HTTP requests to WPLegalPages plugin endpoints from unauthenticated users or unexpected IP addresses
• Anomalous POST requests targeting plugin AJAX handlers or REST API endpoints

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress access logs for suspicious requests to /wp-content/plugins/wplegalpages/ endpoints
• Implement file integrity monitoring for legal page templates and plugin configuration files
• Configure WordPress audit logging to track changes to plugin settings and page content
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block unauthorized access attempts to plugin endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive WordPress activity logging using security plugins
• Set up alerts for any modifications to pages created or managed by WPLegalPages
• Monitor for unauthorized REST API or AJAX requests targeting plugin functionality
• Regularly audit user permissions and access patterns within the WordPress admin panel

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-67974

Immediate Actions Required

• Update WPLegalPages plugin to a version newer than 3.5.4 that includes the security fix
• Review all legal pages for unauthorized modifications and restore from backups if tampering is detected
• Implement additional access controls at the server level to restrict plugin endpoint access
• Enable WordPress debug logging temporarily to identify any ongoing exploitation attempts

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects WPLegalPages versions through 3.5.4. Website administrators should check for available updates in the WordPress plugin repository and apply the latest security patch from WP Legal Pages. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Temporarily deactivate the WPLegalPages plugin if an update is not immediately available
• Implement server-level access restrictions (e.g., IP whitelisting) for WordPress admin endpoints
• Use a Web Application Firewall to block suspicious requests targeting the plugin
• Restrict direct access to the plugin directory using .htaccess rules where possible

# Example .htaccess restriction for WPLegalPages plugin directory
# Add to /wp-content/plugins/wplegalpages/.htaccess
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-content/plugins/wplegalpages/ [NC]
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} POST
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^https?://(www\.)?yourdomain\.com [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>