CVE-2025-6814: Booking X WordPress Information Disclosure

CVE-2025-6814 Overview

The Booking X plugin for WordPress contains a critical broken access control vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to export sensitive plugin data. The vulnerability exists in versions 1.0 through 1.1.2 due to a missing capability check on the export_now() function. This flaw enables attackers to download all plugin data, including user accounts, user metadata, and PayPal credentials, by issuing a specially crafted POST request.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exfiltrate sensitive user data and payment credentials from WordPress sites running vulnerable versions of the Booking X plugin, potentially leading to account takeover, financial fraud, and identity theft.

Affected Products

• Booking X WordPress Plugin versions 1.0 to 1.1.2
• WordPress installations with Booking X plugin enabled
• Sites processing PayPal payments through Booking X

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-04 - CVE-2025-6814 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-6814

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization). The core issue stems from the export_now() function in the Booking X plugin failing to verify that the requesting user has appropriate permissions before executing the data export operation. Without proper capability checks, any unauthenticated user can trigger this function and retrieve sensitive data that should only be accessible to administrators.

The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because the exported data includes PayPal credentials and user account information. An attacker exploiting this flaw can gain access to payment processing credentials, enabling financial fraud, while also obtaining user personal information that could be leveraged for further attacks or identity theft.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing capability check in the export_now() function located in the plugin's admin class. WordPress plugins are expected to implement proper authorization checks using functions like current_user_can() before performing privileged operations. The Booking X plugin fails to verify that the user initiating the export request has administrator privileges, allowing any visitor to trigger the export functionality. The vulnerable code can be examined in the plugin source files.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network and requires no authentication. An attacker simply needs to craft a POST request to the WordPress AJAX endpoint with the appropriate action parameter to trigger the export_now() function. Since no capability check exists, the function executes and returns the exported data regardless of the requester's authorization level.

The attack is straightforward to execute: an attacker sends a POST request to the target WordPress site's admin-ajax.php endpoint specifying the export action. The server responds with the complete plugin data export, including user accounts, metadata, and PayPal credentials stored by the plugin. No authentication tokens, session cookies, or special privileges are required.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-6814

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected POST requests to admin-ajax.php with export-related action parameters from unauthenticated sessions
• Unusual data exports or downloads from the Booking X plugin directory or database tables
• Access logs showing repeated requests to WordPress AJAX endpoints from unfamiliar IP addresses
• Evidence of PayPal credential abuse or unauthorized transactions linked to credentials stored in the plugin

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for suspicious POST requests to admin-ajax.php containing Booking X export actions
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block unauthorized export attempts targeting the vulnerable function
• Review WordPress user activity logs for anomalous data export events not associated with legitimate administrator sessions
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions to identify data exfiltration patterns consistent with bulk credential theft

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for unusual spikes in POST requests to WordPress AJAX endpoints
• Enable detailed logging for all Booking X plugin operations, particularly data export functions
• Implement file integrity monitoring on the Booking X plugin directory to detect unauthorized modifications

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-6814

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Booking X plugin to a patched version (if available) that includes proper capability checks on the export_now() function
• Immediately disable or remove the Booking X plugin from production sites if no patch is available
• Rotate all PayPal credentials and API keys that were stored within the Booking X plugin configuration
• Notify affected users about potential data exposure and recommend password changes

Patch Information

Administrators should check the Booking X plugin developer page for the latest version information and security updates. Review the Wordfence vulnerability report for additional remediation guidance. Until a patched version is confirmed, consider disabling the plugin entirely.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to admin-ajax.php at the web server level using IP allowlisting for administrative functions
• Implement a Web Application Firewall rule to block unauthenticated requests with export-related action parameters
• Temporarily disable the Booking X plugin until a security patch addressing the authorization bypass is available
• Consider migrating to an alternative booking plugin with a stronger security track record

# Example .htaccess rule to restrict admin-ajax.php access (use with caution)
# This may impact legitimate plugin functionality
<Files admin-ajax.php>
  Order Deny,Allow
  Deny from all
  Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>