CVE-2019-25141
📋 TL;DR
The Easy WP SMTP WordPress plugin up to version 1.3.9 has an authorization bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to modify plugin settings and create administrative user accounts. This occurs due to missing capability checks and insufficient input validation in the admin_init() function. Any WordPress site using the vulnerable plugin versions is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Easy WP SMTP WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Easy Wp Smtp by Wp Ecommerce
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site takeover with attacker creating administrative accounts, installing backdoors, defacing content, and stealing sensitive data.
Likely Case
Attackers create hidden admin accounts to maintain persistent access, then deploy malware, redirect traffic, or exfiltrate data.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and monitoring, unauthorized admin account creation would be detected and blocked before significant damage.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is straightforward with publicly available proof-of-concept code requiring only HTTP requests.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.4.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-wp-smtp/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Easy WP SMTP. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 1.4.0+ from WordPress.org and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the Easy WP SMTP plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate easy-wp-smtp
Restrict Admin Access
linuxLimit access to WordPress admin area to specific IP addresses
# Add to .htaccess for Apache:
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
# Or use web application firewall rules
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the Easy WP SMTP plugin completely and use alternative SMTP solutions
- Implement strict network monitoring for unauthorized admin user creation and plugin setting changes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for Easy WP SMTP version ≤1.3.9Check Version:
wp plugin get easy-wp-smtp --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 1.4.0 or higher in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-post.php with swpsmtp actions
- Sudden creation of new administrator accounts
- Changes to Easy WP SMTP settings from unexpected IPs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing 'swpsmtp' parameters from unauthenticated sources
- Unusual traffic patterns to WordPress admin endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("admin-post.php" AND "swpsmtp") OR ("user created" AND "administrator")🔗 References
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/critical-0day-vulnerability-fixed-in-wordpress-easy-wp-smtp-plugin/
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=%2Feasy-wp-smtp&old=2052057&new_path=%2Feasy-wp-smtp&new=2052058&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/vulnerability-26/
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/84b75f7d-7258-46f6-aee6-b96d70bee264?source=cve
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/critical-0day-vulnerability-fixed-in-wordpress-easy-wp-smtp-plugin/
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=%2Feasy-wp-smtp&old=2052057&new_path=%2Feasy-wp-smtp&new=2052058&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://wordpress.org/support/topic/vulnerability-26/
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/84b75f7d-7258-46f6-aee6-b96d70bee264?source=cve
