Plugin-navn	Ni WooCommerce Customer Product Report
Type of Vulnerability	Authorization Bypass
CVE Number	CVE-2025-7827
Hastighed	Lav
CVE Publish Date	2025-08-22
Source URL	CVE-2025-7827

Ni WooCommerce Customer Product Report (<= 1.2.4) — Missing Authorization Allows Authenticated Subscriber Settings Update (CVE-2025-7827)

Forfatter: WP-Firewall Security Team
Dato: 2025-08-22

Tags: WordPress, WooCommerce, Plugin Vulnerability, Broken Access Control, WAF, Virtual Patching

Summary: A broken access control vulnerability in the Ni WooCommerce Customer Product Report plugin (versions <= 1.2.4) allows an authenticated user with the Subscriber role to trigger a settings update action that should be restricted. CVE-2025-7827. No official vendor patch is available at time of writing. This post explains the risk, likely impact, detection and mitigation options, developer remediation guidance, and how WP-Firewall can protect your sites now.

Executive summary

We discovered and validated a Broken Access Control issue in the Ni WooCommerce Customer Product Report plugin (<= 1.2.4). The plugin exposes a settings-update endpoint that does not properly verify user capabilities or nonce tokens, enabling an authenticated user with as little privilege as a Subscriber to perform a settings update that should be limited to admin-level users.

• CVE: CVE-2025-7827
• Berørte versioner: <= 1.2.4
• Vulnerability class: Defekt adgangskontrol (OWASP A5)
• Required privilege to exploit: Subscriber (authenticated low-privilege user)
• Severity / CVSS: Low (4.3) — but context-dependent and worth immediate attention
• Vendor fix: No official fix available at time of publication
• Research credit: ch4r0n

Although rated low severity due to limited direct remote impact, this vulnerability poses meaningful risk on multi-user or membership sites where large numbers of subscribers exist or where Subscriber accounts may be abused by automated registrations. Attackers can use low-privileged accounts as stepping stones to change settings, possibly enabling other attack vectors or persistence mechanisms.

Why this matters (practical risk assessment)

Broken access control is often underrated because many such issues require authentication. However:

• Subscriber-level accounts are present on most WordPress sites (e.g., membership communities, subscription flows, comment systems).
• Automated registration and credential stuffing attacks can generate many active Subscriber accounts quickly.
• A settings-update endpoint may control plugin behavior, output data, or integrations — changing these can weaken security, disrupt operations, or leak data.
• If the plugin stores sensitive configuration (API keys, integration credentials, toggles that enable data exposure), a settings change could have downstream damage.
• Even if immediate privilege escalation is not possible, changes can be used to assist later attacks (backdoors, exfiltration, data collection).

Because there is no official patch available at the time of writing, site owners must treat this as actionable: either remove or disable the plugin, apply protective virtual patches (WAF rules), or harden user access to reduce attack surface.

Technical overview (what is wrong)

At a high level, the plugin registers an admin action that handles settings updates but fails to validate:

• The current user’s capabilities (e.g., current_user_can('manage_options')) — allowing lower-privileged roles to invoke the action.
• A proper WordPress nonce to protect against CSRF-style requests.
• Proper restrictions on AJAX or admin requests (e.g., is_admin() context or REST capability checks).

This results in a Broken Access Control condition: a function that should be restricted to administrators can be triggered by authenticated users with Subscriber privileges, allowing them to change plugin settings.

Note: We are not publishing exploit payloads or step-by-step instructions. Our goal is to help defenders mitigate exposure safely.

Indicators of compromise and detection guidance

If you operate a site with this plugin installed, look for the following signs in logs and telemetry:

• Unexpected POST requests to admin endpoints correlated with plugin actions from authenticated users (look for admin-ajax.php, or plugin-specific admin page POSTs).
• Unusual or repeated settings-change events in plugin option names (check wp_options for plugin option updates around suspicious times).
• New or unusual values in plugin settings that enable data exports, debug modes, or change endpoints.
• Authenticated traffic from Subscriber accounts performing POST requests to wp-admin/ admin-ajax.php or to plugin-specific admin pages.
• Spike in user registrations alongside suspicious admin-ajax POSTs — could indicate automated accounts being used to test endpoints.

What to log and monitor:

• All POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php og wp-admin/options.php, including action and referer headers.
• Changes to options table entries for option names used by the plugin (monitor via DB triggers if possible).
• User role modifications or elevation events — make sure there are alerts if a Subscriber user suddenly obtains more capability.
• Access logs for repeated requests from the same IP that signal brute force or mass testing.

Immediate mitigations for site owners (no vendor patch)

If you cannot update the plugin because no fix exists yet, use the following defensive steps immediately.

1. Deactivate or remove the plugin
   • The safest short-term mitigation: deactivate the plugin until the vendor issues a patch.
   • If the plugin is not essential, remove it entirely.
2. Restrict access to administrative endpoints
   • Block access to wp-admin for all non-admin IPs where practical.
   • Use host-level firewall or webserver rules to restrict access to the admin area from known IPs.
3. Harden registrations and Subscriber accounts
   • Disable open registrations if not required.
   • Use email verification and rate-limiting to prevent mass account creation.
   • Audit existing Subscriber accounts for suspicious patterns.
4. Reduce the attack surface (temporary)
   • Limit Subscriber permissions if your site does not need them to have the default capabilities.
   • Use a plugin or custom code to ensure Subscribers cannot make POST requests to admin pages.
5. Deploy WAF rules / Virtual patching (recommended when plugin must remain active)
   • Add WAF rules that block settings-update requests for low-privilege users.
   • Block POST requests that attempt to update plugin-specific options unless the request is from an administrator session.
6. Monitor and alert
   • Implement monitoring for the indicators listed above and alert on suspicious activity immediately.

WP-Firewall virtual patching and protection options

At WP-Firewall we deploy virtual patching when a vendor patch is not yet available. Here’s how we protect sites from this specific class of vulnerability:

• Rule-based WAF: Block or challenge requests that match the plugin’s settings-update endpoint pattern when the authenticated user’s role is Subscriber or when no admin cookie/nonce is present.
• Session-level checks: Recognize administrator sessions vs. subscriber sessions. Block requests that attempt to perform “settings update” API calls from sessions lacking admin capability.
• Rate limits and bot mitigation: Prevent automated account abuse and repeated attempts to probe admin endpoints.
• Option-change monitoring: Flag and optionally revert changes to critical plugin options when the requestor is not an administrator.
• Malware scanning and heuristics: Look for patterns where attackers change configuration to enable data export or debugging features.

Example virtual mitigation strategies (what we apply at the WAF layer):

• Block or challenge POST requests to admin endpoints that include the plugin’s action name unless the request contains a valid admin cookie or a valid nonce pattern.
• Block admin-ajax POSTs that are being invoked by users who are not recognized as administrators.
• Add a logging-and-blocking rule to ignore requests attempting to set certain option keys that are sensitive.

These protections are applied as rules and can mitigate exploitation even in the absence of a plugin patch.

Developer remediation guidance (for plugin authors)

If you are the plugin author or responsible for plugin maintenance, remediate with the following checklist. The code examples below illustrate the minimal checks you should add; these are not exhaustive.

1. Capability checks
   • Enforce WordPress capability checks for any settings-change functions:
     • Use current_user_can() to verify an appropriate capability (e.g., ‘manage_options’ or a custom capability).
2. Nonce verification
   • Use wp_nonce_field() in your form output and check_admin_referer() in your POST handler.
3. Admin context and authenticated checks
   • Confirm the request is coming from a valid admin session (is_user_logged_in() + capability).
4. Sanitize and validate all inputs
   • Treat all inputs as untrusted and sanitize them before saving to options.

Example PHP mitigations (outline)

// In the settings page output
wp_nonce_field( 'ni_settings_update_action', 'ni_settings_update_nonce' );

// Handler for the POST (plugin admin handler)
function ni_handle_settings_update() {
    // Verify nonce
    if ( ! isset( $_POST['ni_settings_update_nonce'] ) ||
         ! check_admin_referer( 'ni_settings_update_action', 'ni_settings_update_nonce' ) ) {
        wp_die( 'Security check failed', 'Error', array( 'response' => 403 ) );
    }

    // Capability check - only allow administrators or users with specific capability
    if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) {
        wp_die( 'Insufficient privileges', 'Error', array( 'response' => 403 ) );
    }

    // Sanitize inputs and save
    $new_val = isset( $_POST['option_key'] ) ? sanitize_text_field( wp_unslash( $_POST['option_key'] ) ) : '';
    update_option( 'ni_option_key', $new_val );

    // Redirect or return success
    wp_redirect( admin_url( 'admin.php?page=ni-settings&updated=true' ) );
    exit;
}
add_action( 'admin_post_ni_update_settings', 'ni_handle_settings_update' );

Notes:

• Use admin_post hooks for non-AJAX admin forms and admin_post_nopriv only when the action must be accessible without authentication (rare for settings).
• For AJAX handlers, use proper capability verification and check_ajax_referer().

Example WAF rules (conceptual)

Below are conceptual WAF rules in readable pseudo-syntax. Apply carefully in your environment — test in staging before production.

1. Block unauthorized admin-post calls
   Rule: Deny POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-post.php med action=ni_update_settings unless cookie indicates an admin session or a valid nonce header exists.

if (request.path == "/wp-admin/admin-post.php" &&
    request.method == "POST" &&
    request.param("action") == "ni_update_settings" &&
    not (request.cookie contains "wordpress_logged_in_" with admin privileges OR request.header "X-WP-Nonce" valid)) {
    block();
}

2. Block AJAX update attempts by Subscriber-level accounts
   Rule: Deny admin-ajax.php POST requests where action matches plugin update actions and the authenticated user role is Subscriber.

if (request.path == "/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" &&
    request.method == "POST" &&
    request.param("action") in ["ni_update_settings", "ni_save_settings"] &&
    session.user_role == "subscriber") {
    block();
}

3. Prevent unauthorized option updates (server-side)
   Rule: Block POSTs to wp-admin/options.php containing option names matching plugin’s sensitive keys unless requester is admin.

if (request.path == "/wp-admin/options.php" &&
    request.method == "POST" &&
    request.body contains any_of(["ni_option_key", "ni_api_key", "ni_enable_export"]) &&
    session.user_role != "administrator") {
    block();
}

If you use ModSecurity you can translate the above logic into ModSecurity rules that match parameter names and require specific cookies or referer verification. As always, test rules thoroughly to avoid false positives.

Long-term best practices (site admins & developers)

• Principle of least privilege: Avoid giving Subscriber or low-priv roles any ability to reach admin endpoints. Consider role customization so Subscribers have zero access to any wp-admin pages.
• Harden registration flows: Use email verification, account approval flows, and CAPTCHA to reduce automated abuse.
• Use nonces for all sensitive actions: Both forms and AJAX endpoints should use wp_nonce_field() and check_ajax_referer() / check_admin_referer().
• Capability checks: Always check current_user_can() for every operation that changes state or settings.
• Security code review: Periodically have your plugins audited by a security professional, especially if they expose admin endpoints.
• Automated monitoring: Use a WAF and change monitors to detect and block anomalous behavior.
• Keep a smaller plugin footprint: Use only plugins you actively need. Fewer plugins equals fewer potential vulnerabilities.

Incident response playbook (if you suspect exploitation)

1. Containment
   • Immediately deactivate the vulnerable plugin or block the admin endpoints at the webserver level.
   • Rotate administrator passwords and any integration keys that could be stored in plugin options.
2. Triage
   • Review recent wp_options changes, user role changes, and plugin logs.
   • Export logs for forensic analysis.
3. Eradication
   • Remove malicious payloads, undo unauthorized settings changes, restore from known-good backups if necessary.
   • If uncertain about cleanup, isolate the site and engage professional incident response.
4. Genopretning
   • Re-enable only once you’re confident the site is clean and the vector is mitigated (plugin patched or protected by WAF).
   • Re-deploy with stricter monitoring and alerts in place.
5. Lessons learned
   • Apply the developer remediation checklist and update your security policies to reduce future risk.

FAQ — quick answers

Q: Is this vulnerability remotely exploitable by an unauthenticated attacker?
A: No. It requires an authenticated account (at least Subscriber). However, many sites permit registrations or can be abused via credential stuffing.

Q: What if I cannot deactivate the plugin because it’s critical?
A: Immediately deploy compensating controls: tighten registration, restrict wp-admin to specific IPs, deploy WAF rules to block the offending action, and monitor closely.

Q: Will disabling comments or changing default roles help?
A: Disabling open registrations and limiting default role to a constrained set of capabilities reduces exposure. But ensure no existing Subscriber accounts are malicious.

Q: When will the vendor release a patch?
A: At present, no official fix is available. Continuously check the plugin’s official plugin page or the developer’s channel for updates. Until a vendor patch is available, rely on mitigation steps above.

How WP-Firewall helps (what we provide)

At WP-Firewall we focus on practical, layered defenses that cover sites while vendor fixes are pending:

• Managed web application firewall (WAF) that can deploy virtual patches for known plugin vulnerabilities.
• Option-change protection and rollback for suspicious option updates.
• Malware scanner and auto-remediation (available in paid tiers) to remove known malicious artifacts.
• Behavioral detection and rate limiting to stop mass registration and malicious account use.
• Continuous monitoring and alerts to detect attempted exploitation and suspicious admin endpoint access.

We tailor protections to the environment: for ecommerce sites running WooCommerce and related plugins, we prioritize safeguarding checkout, APIs, and settings endpoints.

Developer checklist (summary for plugin authors)

• Require and check nonces for all state-changing actions (forms and AJAX).
• Validate current_user_can() against an appropriate capability for settings updates.
• Avoid relying solely on is_admin(); instead validate user capability.
• Limit what Subscribers can do; do not trust role assignments blindly.
• Log and rate-limit critical operations.
• Sanitize and validate every user-provided input before saving.
• Add automated tests for access control around admin endpoints.

Suggested communication to your users (site owners)

If you are a site owner with the plugin installed, communicate immediately with stakeholders:

• Inform them that a low-severity vulnerability exists and explain the steps being taken (deactivate plugin / apply WAF / monitor).
• Reassure them that customer-facing functionality is unaffected unless the plugin is modified by a malicious actor.
• Note that the fastest mitigation is to deactivate the plugin or apply WAF protections.

Timeline (public disclosure status)

• Discovery and research credit: ch4r0n
• Public disclosure: 22 August 2025
• Vendor patch: None at time of publication

We will update this post once an official vendor fix is released and will publish WP-Firewall virtual patch rules for customers.

Responsible disclosure and vendor coordination

As a security community, the right way to handle findings is coordinated disclosure: contact the plugin author privately, give time to produce a patch, and if no timely fix is available, publish mitigations and protections so site owners can defend themselves. We will continue to follow that model and will update this advisory with vendor patch details when available.

Practical checklist for site owners — immediate steps

1. Identify if the plugin is installed and the version.
   • WP Admin → Plugins → check Ni WooCommerce Customer Product Report version.
2. If installed and <= 1.2.4:
   • Deactivate the plugin if it is not critical.
   • If the plugin must stay active, apply WAF rules to block settings-update endpoints for low-priv users.
3. Audit users:
   • Check for suspicious Subscriber accounts and disable or delete accounts you don’t recognize.
4. Harden registration:
   • Add CAPTCHAs, email verification, and approval workflows for new users.
5. Rotate keys:
   • Rotate any API keys or integration credentials stored in plugin settings.
6. Monitor:
   • Enable logging for admin-ajax.php and options updates; alert on suspicious changes.

Example: safe rollback of plugin changes

If your monitoring shows unauthorized changes to plugin options, consider temporarily restoring plugin settings from a clean backup and then keeping the plugin disabled until you have applied WAF protections or the vendor patch.

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Closing notes

Broken access control vulnerabilities like this one are a reminder that access checks must be enforced consistently across every code path. Even low-severity issues deserve rapid attention when there’s no vendor patch available — attackers will leverage the weakest link. If you need assistance implementing mitigations, testing WAF rules, or restoring a compromised site, reach out to a security professional immediately.

We will keep this advisory current and publish technical mitigation signatures for WP-Firewall customers. Stay safe, monitor proactively, and when possible, remove or update the vulnerable plugin once an official fix is available.

— WP-Firewall Security Team