CVE-2026-25335: Secure Copy Content Protection Bypass

CVE-2026-25335 Overview

CVE-2026-25335 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability affecting the Ays Pro Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking WordPress plugin. The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized actions within WordPress installations using this plugin. This is classified as a Broken Access Control vulnerability (CWE-862).

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with low privileges can bypass authorization checks and modify plugin settings or content protection configurations, undermining the security controls the plugin is designed to enforce.

Affected Products

• Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking plugin versions through 5.0.0
• WordPress installations using the vulnerable plugin versions
• Websites relying on this plugin for content protection and copy prevention

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-19 - CVE-2026-25335 published to NVD
• 2026-02-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25335

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists due to missing authorization checks within the Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking WordPress plugin. The plugin fails to properly verify that users have appropriate permissions before allowing certain actions to be performed. This missing authorization flaw enables authenticated users with minimal privileges (such as subscribers) to access functionality that should be restricted to administrators or higher-privileged users.

The vulnerability is network-exploitable and requires low privileges to abuse. No user interaction is required for exploitation. While the impact is limited to integrity concerns without affecting confidentiality or availability, attackers can manipulate plugin configurations that protect content from being copied or accessed.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-25335 is the absence of proper capability checks in the plugin's PHP code. WordPress plugins should implement current_user_can() checks or similar authorization mechanisms to verify user permissions before processing sensitive requests. In this case, the plugin processes AJAX requests or form submissions without validating whether the requesting user has the required administrative capabilities.

This falls under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), where the software does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability involves an authenticated user with low-level privileges (such as a WordPress subscriber account) sending crafted requests to plugin endpoints. Since authorization checks are missing, these requests are processed regardless of the user's actual permission level.

An attacker would need to:

1. Obtain a valid low-privileged account on the target WordPress site
2. Identify the vulnerable plugin endpoints that lack authorization
3. Send malicious requests to modify plugin settings or bypass content protection mechanisms

The vulnerability is exploited over the network without requiring any user interaction from administrators. For technical implementation details and specific affected endpoints, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25335

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to Secure Copy Content Protection plugin settings without administrator action
• Audit logs showing plugin configuration modifications by low-privileged users
• Content protection rules being disabled or modified unexpectedly
• Unusual AJAX requests to plugin endpoints from non-administrative user sessions

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress activity logs for configuration changes to the Secure Copy Content Protection plugin by unauthorized users
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious requests to plugin endpoints
• Conduct regular audits of plugin settings to identify unauthorized modifications
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions to identify exploitation attempts targeting WordPress plugins

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging for all WordPress administrative actions and plugin interactions
• Configure alerts for any changes to content protection settings outside of maintenance windows
• Monitor for repeated requests to plugin AJAX handlers from subscriber or contributor accounts
• Review server access logs for patterns indicating reconnaissance or exploitation attempts against WordPress plugins

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25335

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit current plugin settings to identify any unauthorized changes that may have already occurred
• Review user accounts and remove unnecessary subscriber or contributor accounts until the plugin is patched
• Implement additional access controls through a WordPress security plugin or WAF
• Consider temporarily deactivating the Secure Copy Content Protection plugin if content protection is not critical to operations

Patch Information

Users should check for updates to the Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking plugin beyond version 5.0.0. Monitor the plugin's official WordPress repository page and the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for patch availability and update instructions.

Workarounds

• Restrict plugin access by implementing server-level restrictions on AJAX endpoints used by the plugin
• Use a WordPress security plugin to add additional authorization layers for plugin administration
• Limit user registration or restrict the creation of new accounts until the vulnerability is patched
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block unauthorized requests to the plugin

# Example: Restrict access to plugin AJAX handlers in .htaccess
# Add to WordPress .htaccess file to limit plugin access
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^.*secure-copy-content-protection.*$ [NC]
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE} !wordpress_logged_in_.*admin [NC]
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ - [F,L]
</IfModule>