Nom du plugin	OwnID Passwordless Login
Type of Vulnerability	Authentication bypass
CVE Number	CVE-2025-10294
Urgence	Haut
CVE Publish Date	2025-10-15
Source URL	CVE-2025-10294

URGENT: OwnID Passwordless Login (≤ 1.3.4) — Authentication Bypass (CVE-2025-10294) — What WordPress Site Owners Must Do Now

Auteur: WP‑Firewall Security Team

Date: 2025-10-15

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TL;DR

• A high severity authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2025-10294) affects OwnID Passwordless Login plugin versions ≤ 1.3.4.
• CVSS score: 9.8. Attack requires no authentication and can allow an attacker to perform actions normally reserved for higher‑privileged users — including, in the worst case, admin takeover.
• At time of publication there is no official vendor patch available. Immediate mitigation is required.
• This post gives a practical, step‑by‑step technical guide for detection, containment, mitigation, and recovery — written from the perspective of a WordPress firewall/security provider.
• If you run affected versions: act now — block the vulnerable plugin endpoints, consider disabling the plugin, mitigate with WAF rules (virtual patching), and perform a full security triage.

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Introduction

Passwordless authentication plugins are attractive because they simplify login flows and remove user friction. But any change to the authentication chain increases risk: authentication endpoints, token handling, callbacks, and session logic must be implemented exactly right. A logic error or missing server‑side check can allow unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication entirely.

A recently disclosed vulnerability in OwnID Passwordless Login (versions ≤ 1.3.4; CVE‑2025‑10294) is a real example: it is an unauthenticated authentication bypass ranked at 9.8 CVSS — the kind of vulnerability that attackers will rapidly scan for and exploit. Many WordPress sites use authentication plugins; this vulnerability is especially dangerous because the attacker needs no valid user credentials to begin. Below we walk you through what this means, how it can be abused, how to detect signs of exploitation, and what to do now — including immediate containment options and durable hardening.

This guidance is practical and prioritized for site owners, sysadmins, and developers who need to act now.

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What the vulnerability means (plain language)

• “Authentication bypass” means an attacker can break the authentication mechanism and perform actions without presenting valid credentials.
• The vulnerability is exploitable by an unauthenticated attacker; they do not need to be logged in or possess a valid token to start an attack.
• Depending on how the plugin is integrated on your site, an attacker could elevate privileges, create accounts, manipulate sessions, or trigger admin‑level operations — enabling site compromise, content tampering, or persistent backdoors.

Why this is critical

• Authentication is the gatekeeper for all privileged actions. If the gatekeeper fails, the attacker can operate inside the site as if they were an authorized user.
• High automation: authentication bypass vulnerabilities are easily mass‑scannable. Within hours or days of disclosure, attackers can scan many hosts and attempt exploitation at scale.
• No official fix available at publication time: when there’s no patch, every vulnerable site remains at risk until the vendor issues an update or you apply mitigations.

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How attackers might abuse the vulnerability (scenarios)

We won’t publish exploit source code, but typical exploitation scenarios for authentication bypass vulnerabilities include:

• Creating or activating an administrative account silently (new user creation or role modification).
• Obtaining a session cookie or token that grants access to dashboard/API actions.
• Using the plugin’s callback endpoints to perform actions on behalf of logged‑in users, e.g., changing email, resetting passwords, or adding admin metadata.
• Chaining this vulnerability with other weaknesses (e.g., file upload or plugin/theme misconfigurations) to plant backdoors or persistent malware.

Because the vulnerability is unauthenticated, automated scanners and botnets can be used to find and exploit targets quickly.

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Immediate actions — prioritized checklist (what to do in the next 60–180 minutes)

1. Identify affected installations
   • Dashboard: WP Admin → Plugins → locate “OwnID Passwordless Login” and check the version number.
   • CLI: run wp plugin list | grep ownid (or similar). If the version is ≤ 1.3.4 you are vulnerable.
2. If you cannot patch immediately, block the plugin
   • Option A — Disable the plugin (fastest, safest)
     • WP Admin: Deactivate the plugin.
     • WP‑CLI: wp plugin deactivate ownid-passwordless-login
     • Note: Deactivation may temporarily remove passwordless functionality; inform users and restore alternate login method (passwords, 2FA).
   • Option B — If you cannot deactivate, block access to plugin endpoints with your webserver or WAF (recommended when plugin removal breaks user flows and you need an interim mitigation).
3. Apply virtual patching with a WAF / firewall
   • If you run a WordPress WAF, enable rules that:
   • Deny requests to the plugin’s public endpoints (REST routes or AJAX URIs) or restrict to allowed IPs.
   • Rate limit requests to suspicious endpoints.
   • Block requests containing known malicious patterns (if available).
   • Virtual patching buys time until an official vendor patch is released.
4. Block access at the webserver level (quick mitigation)
   • Apache (.htaccess) sample to block plugin files:
     
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteRule ^wp-content/plugins/ownid-passwordless-login/.* - [F,L]
</IfModule>

   • Nginx sample:
     
location ~* /wp-content/plugins/ownid-passwordless-login/.*\.php$ {
    nier tout;
}

   • This prevents direct access to the plugin’s PHP entrypoints from the web while leaving other site parts working. Test carefully on staging.
5. Rotate authentication secrets (if compromise is suspected)
   • Change WordPress salts in wp-config.php (AUTH_KEY, SECURE_AUTH_KEY, LOGGED_IN_KEY, NONCE_KEY…). Changing salts will invalidate sessions and force reauthentication for all users.
   • Use the WordPress.org secret key generator to generate new values: https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/
   • After changing salts, monitor authentications and notify users as needed.
6. Force password resets for admin-level accounts
   • Reset admin passwords and enable strong password policies.
   • Consider temporarily disabling remote admin access to limit risk.
7. Backup and snapshot
   • Take a full backup of files and database before you do further changes or forensic work. This ensures you can restore data or analyze a suspected compromise.
8. Monitor logs and users
   • Watch for new user accounts, new admins, suspicious post edits, or modified plugin/theme files (next section shows how to detect).

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Detection: how to spot exploitation and indicators of compromise

Check these logs and indicators immediately:

• New users or unexpected role changes:
  • WP Admin → Users → look for recently created accounts.
  • WP‑CLI: wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,user_registered
• Suspicious login entries:
  • If you have a login logging plugin, scan for successful logins from odd IPs or user agents.
• Webserver logs:
  • Search access logs for POST requests to plugin or REST endpoints around the time of suspected activity.
  • Look for requests that include patterns like “ownid”, unusual query parameters, or repeated attempts.
• File changes:
  • Monitor wp-content/uploads, plugin and theme directories for new PHP files or modified timestamps.
  • Tools: diff backup vs current files, or run a file integrity scanner.
• Database changes:
  • Look for tampered options (options_wp), especially active_plugins, or unexpected entries in wp_usermeta.
• Scheduled tasks:
  • Check wp_options→cron for suspicious scheduled jobs that might persist access.
• Outbound connections:
  • Some compromises install backdoors that call out to external domains. Check server-level outbound logs.

Common IOCs (indicators of compromise) to search for:

• POST requests to plugin folder paths or REST routes associated with the plugin.
• Unrecognized administrative users, especially created in the last 24‑72 hours.
• Remote IPs that connect to admin endpoints repeatedly with short intervals — a sign of automation.

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Containment & recovery checklist (after detection)

1. Contain:
   • Immediately block or restrict the attacking IPs at the firewall level.
   • Put the site in maintenance mode if you suspect active exploitation.
2. Preserve evidence:
   • Make copies of logs, database, and file system before making sweeping changes that would destroy forensic data.
3. Eradicate:
   • Remove unauthorized admin users and reverse malicious changes.
   • Reinstall plugin from a fresh, trusted source once a patch is available and you have validated the site state.
   • If you find backdoors, either clean carefully (only if you have the expertise) or perform a full reinstall from known good backups.
4. Recover:
   • Restore from a clean backup if the compromise is extensive.
   • Rotate all credentials: admin passwords, API keys, database credentials, and hosting control panel logins.
   • Mise à jour wp-config.php salts to invalidate existing sessions.
   • Re-enable services gradually and monitor.
5. Post‑incident review:
   • Understand root cause (was it purely the plugin vulnerability or a chained exploit?).
   • Harden systems (see next section).

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Longer term hardening & best practices for authentication plugins

• Prefer defense in depth
  • Use strong, unique admin passwords and enable 2‑factor authentication (2FA) for all privileged accounts.
  • Use role‑separation: avoid using admin accounts for daily tasks. Grant the least privilege needed.
• Reduce attack surface
  • If you must use passwordless or third‑party login solutions, isolate them:
  • Host them on separate subdomains where possible.
  • Limit allowed referrers or IPs for admin users.
• Isolate and restrict plugin endpoints
  • Use webserver rules or WAF to limit which IPs may call REST endpoints used for authentication.
• Keep plugins and themes minimal
  • Remove unused plugins and themes. Fewer components means fewer vulnerabilities.
• Automate backups & integrity checks
  • Regular scheduled backups plus continuous file integrity monitoring reduces dwell time for attackers.
• Test updates in staging
  • Before deploying major authentication changes to production, test the login flow in a staging environment.
• Secure the hosting environment
  • Enforce latest PHP versions, apply OS patches, and isolate each site (user) on shared hosting.

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How WP‑Firewall helps (virtual patching & active protection)

If you run WP‑Firewall on your site we can offer immediate measures that significantly reduce risk while an official vendor patch is pending:

• Virtual patching: our WAF can deploy rules that block exploit attempts against known vulnerable patterns, effectively “patching” the behavior at the HTTP layer without changing plugin code.
• Endpoint hardening: we can block or restrict access to the plugin’s public endpoints (REST routes and AJAX calls) so attackers cannot reach the vulnerable logic.
• Behavioral rules: detect and block suspicious patterns such as abnormal numbers of authentication requests or unusual parameter combinations.
• Rate limiting and bot mitigation: limit the speed and volume of requests to authentication-related endpoints, which lowers the chance of successful automated exploitation.
• File change detection & alerts: we notify site owners if plugin files change, or if new PHP files appear in uploads or plugin directories.
• Incident support: guidance and remediation recommendations, including safe deactivation steps, backup & restore, root cause analysis, and post‑incident cleanup.

Practically, this means with the firewall in place you can keep your site running while blocking attack traffic to the vulnerable functionality.

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Examples: concrete mitigations you can apply now

1. Disable the plugin (recommended)
   • WP‑CLI:
     wp plugin deactivate ownid-passwordless-login
   • Dashboard: Plugins → Deactivate.
2. Block plugin directory via Nginx (temporary)
   • Add to your site config:
     
location ^~ /wp-content/plugins/ownid-passwordless-login/ {
  nier tout;
  return 403;
}

   • Reload Nginx after testing.
3. Restrict REST API routes (if the plugin exposes REST endpoints)
   • You can add a small mu‑plugin to filter and block specific REST endpoints:

   <?php
   // mu-plugins/block-ownid-endpoints.php
   add_filter( 'rest_endpoints', function( $endpoints ) {
       foreach ( $endpoints as $route => $handlers ) {
           if ( strpos( $route, '/ownid/' ) === 0 || strpos( $route, 'ownid' ) !== false ) {
               unset( $endpoints[ $route ] );
           }
       }
       return $endpoints;
   }, 999 );
   

   Note: test in staging. This un-registers endpoints at the REST level and is a defensive stopgap.

4. Change WordPress salts (force cookie invalidation)
   • Replace AUTH_KEY, SECURE_AUTH_KEY, LOGGED_IN_KEY, NONCE_KEY in wp-config.php with new values from the WordPress generator.
5. Block suspicious user agents & rate limit
   • If you see a scanning user agent pattern, block it. Use webserver rules or WAF.

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Testing & verification

• After any mitigation, test:
  • That the plugin functionality you expected to block is no longer reachable from the outside.
  • That legitimate users can still login using fallback methods (passwords, 2FA).
• Use fresh browsers and incognito windows to validate login flows.
• Run a vulnerability scan or third‑party security scanner only from a trusted host to ensure the attack surface is reduced.
• Engage a security professional if you detect indicators of compromise.

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Communication guidance for site owners & teams

• Inform stakeholders: notify your team and any affected users of service changes or login impacts.
• Transparency: explain that the plugin was temporarily disabled or restricted for security reasons and provide alternative login instructions.
• Keep logs of all mitigation steps, changes, and communications for audit and compliance.

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If you are a developer or plugin vendor

• Prioritize the bug: authenticate that your authentication endpoints implement full server-side verification and that all token exchanges are validated.
• Implement additional safety checks:
  • Nonce verification for AJAX and REST calls.
  • Strict token expiry and binding tokens to specific sessions.
  • Rate limiting and anomaly detection at the application layer.
• Release a patch quickly and provide clear upgrade guidance and migration notes. When possible, include backports for widely used older versions.
• Communicate with a clear timeline for fixes and recommended temporary mitigations.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Q: Is my site compromised if I had the plugin installed?
A: Not necessarily. Installation alone doesn’t mean compromise — exploitation requires an attacker to send crafted requests during the vulnerable window. But because the vulnerability is unauthenticated and high severity, you must assume potential risk and check logs, users, and files.

Q: Can I safely disable the plugin?
A: Yes. Deactivation is the most reliable mitigation. But deactivating may disrupt passwordless login functionality for users. Prepare fallback login instructions for users before deactivating on production sites.

Q: Will changing salts lock users out?
A: Changing salts will invalidate cookies and force all users to reauthenticate. This is an effective way to force any attacker sessions to drop, but be mindful of user experience.

Q: I can’t take the site offline. What then?
A: If you cannot deactivate the plugin, use WAF rules, webserver blocks, or application layer filters to restrict access to the plugin’s endpoints as an interim measure.

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Recommended monitoring & follow‑up

• Keep your site under heightened monitoring for the next 30 days after mitigation:
  • Daily scans for suspicious files.
  • Daily review of admin user list.
  • Monitor webserver access logs for repeated hits to plugin paths.
• Subscribe to official security advisories and check plugin updates frequently.
• Consider a full security hardening audit (password hygiene, principle of least privilege, plugin inventory).

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Conclusion — urgency and final checklist

This OwnID Passwordless Login vulnerability is serious: unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication mechanisms and potentially gain admin actions. The combination of a high CVSS score and no official patch makes rapid, pragmatic mitigation essential.

Final urgent checklist:

• Confirm whether OwnID Passwordless Login ≤ 1.3.4 is installed.
• Deactivate the plugin now if feasible; otherwise, block access to plugin endpoints at the WAF/webserver level.
• Use virtual patching where possible (WAF rules) to block exploit attempts.
• Rotate salts and admin credentials if compromise is suspected.
• Monitor logs, file integrity, and new user creation closely for signs of exploitation.
• Reinstall or update the plugin only after a verified vendor patch is released.
• Consider a managed security plan for continuous protection.

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Appendix — useful commands and checks

• Check plugin versions:
  • WP Admin → Plugins
  • WP‑CLI: wp plugin list
• Deactivate plugin (fastest mitigation):
  • wp plugin deactivate ownid-passwordless-login
• List admin users:
  • wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,user_registered
• Generate new salts:
  • Visite https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/ and paste into wp-config.php
• Basic file integrity check:
  • Compare current plugin files to a known good copy from plugin repository, or run a file hashing tool.

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Stay safe, and act quickly — authentication bypasses require urgent response.

— WP‑Firewall Security Team