CVE-2025-23613
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthorized users to access functionality intended only for authenticated administrators in the WP Journal WordPress plugin. Attackers can exploit broken access control to modify plugin settings or content. All WordPress sites running WP Journal version 1.1 or earlier are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Journal WordPress Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Unauthenticated attackers gain administrative control over the plugin, allowing them to modify journal content, change settings, or potentially escalate privileges to compromise the entire WordPress site.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users access administrative functions to modify journal entries, change plugin configurations, or view restricted content.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and authentication checks, only authorized administrators can access plugin functionality, preventing unauthorized modifications.
🎯 Exploit Status
Missing authorization vulnerabilities typically require minimal technical skill to exploit once the vulnerable endpoint is identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/wpjournal/vulnerability/wordpress-wp-journal-plugin-1-1-broken-access-control-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find WP Journal and click 'Update Now' if available. 4. If no update is available, deactivate and delete the plugin, then install the latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WP Journal Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched version is available
wp plugin deactivate wpjournal
Restrict Access via Web Application Firewall
allBlock access to WP Journal admin endpoints for non-administrative users
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls at the web server level to restrict access to WP Journal admin endpoints
- Monitor logs for unauthorized access attempts to WP Journal functionality and implement alerting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Installed Plugins for WP Journal version. If version is 1.1 or earlier, the site is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get wpjournal --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify WP Journal version shows 1.2 or later in WordPress admin plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized POST/GET requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with wpjournal-related actions
- Access to wpjournal admin endpoints from non-admin IP addresses
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to WP Journal admin endpoints
- Requests to wpjournal-specific URLs from unauthorized sources
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND action CONTAINS "wpjournal") AND user_role!="administrator"