CVE-2025-23849
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-23849 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the PAPERCITE WordPress plugin that allows attackers to bypass access controls and perform unauthorized actions. This affects all WordPress sites running PAPERCITE versions up to and including 0.5.18. The vulnerability stems from improper access control configuration that fails to verify user permissions.
💻 Affected Systems
- PAPERCITE 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
Attackers could modify plugin settings, inject malicious content, or potentially escalate privileges to compromise the entire WordPress site.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users could alter bibliography settings, inject malicious JavaScript, or disrupt academic citation functionality.
If Mitigated
With proper WordPress hardening and security plugins, impact would be limited to PAPERCITE functionality disruption.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires some WordPress user access but doesn't need administrative privileges.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 0.5.19 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/papercite/vulnerability/wordpress-papercite-plugin-0-5-18-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 PAPERCITE and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 0.5.19 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable PAPERCITE Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate papercite
Restrict Access via .htaccess
linuxBlock access to PAPERCITE admin endpoints
# Add to .htaccess in WordPress root:
<FilesMatch "papercite">
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove PAPERCITE plugin entirely from production sites
- Implement web application firewall rules to block PAPERCITE admin requests
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > PAPERCITE version. If version is 0.5.18 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get papercite --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify PAPERCITE version is 0.5.19 or higher in WordPress admin plugins page.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with papercite actions
- Multiple failed authorization attempts for PAPERCITE functions
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to PAPERCITE admin endpoints from unauthorized IPs
- Unusual traffic patterns to papercite-related URLs
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (papercite OR admin-ajax.php) AND (POST OR PUT) AND NOT user_role="administrator"