CVE-2025-31012
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a missing authorization vulnerability in the Age Gate WordPress plugin that allows attackers to bypass access controls and access functionality intended to be restricted. All WordPress sites using Age Gate versions up to 3.5.4 are affected, potentially exposing age-restricted content or functionality to unauthorized users.
💻 Affected Systems
- Age Gate 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 bypass age verification entirely, exposing age-restricted content to underage users or unauthorized audiences, potentially violating legal compliance requirements.
Likely Case
Unauthorized users bypass age verification to access restricted content or functionality that should be gated behind age checks.
If Mitigated
With proper authorization controls, only verified users of appropriate age can access restricted content.
🎯 Exploit Status
Access control bypass vulnerabilities are typically easy to exploit once discovered.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.5.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/age-gate/vulnerability/wordpress-age-gate-3-5-4-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 Age Gate plugin
4. Click 'Update Now' if update available
5. If no update available, download latest version from WordPress repository
6. Deactivate old version, upload new version, activate
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Age Gate Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate age-gate
Implement Web Application Firewall Rules
allAdd WAF rules to block unauthorized access attempts to age-gated endpoints
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network-level access controls to restrict access to affected endpoints
- Monitor access logs for unauthorized attempts to bypass age verification
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Age Gate version. If version is 3.5.4 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get age-gate --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Age Gate plugin version is 3.5.5 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed age verification attempts from same IP
- Direct access to age-restricted content without verification
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests bypassing age verification endpoints
- Unusual traffic patterns to restricted content
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (uri_path="*age-gate*" OR plugin="age-gate") AND status_code=200 AND user_agent NOT CONTAINS "verified"