CVE-2025-14977 in Dokan Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/20/2026
The Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in versions up to, and including, 4.2.4 via the `/wp-json/dokan/v1/settings` REST API endpoint due to missing validation on a user-controlled key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with customer-level permissions and above, to read or modify other vendors' store settings including sensitive payment information (PayPal email, bank account details, routing numbers, IBAN, SWIFT codes), phone numbers, and addresses, and change PayPal email addresses to attacker-controlled addresses, enabling financial theft when the marketplace processes payouts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-14977 affects the Dokan plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting the AI-powered WooCommerce multivendor marketplace solution that enables users to create Amazon, eBay, or Etsy-like platforms. This security flaw exists in versions up to and including 4.2.4 and represents a critical Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability within the plugin's REST API implementation. The issue manifests through the `/wp-json/dokan/v1/settings` endpoint where the plugin fails to properly validate user-controlled input parameters, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive vendor data. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects authenticated users with customer-level permissions or higher, meaning that even relatively low-privilege accounts can exploit this flaw to gain access to other vendors' confidential information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the plugin's REST API handling mechanism. When an authenticated user makes a request to the settings endpoint, the system does not properly verify whether the requesting user has legitimate authorization to access or modify the specific vendor's settings they are attempting to target. This missing validation creates a direct object reference that allows attackers to manipulate the user-controlled key parameter to access data belonging to different vendors within the same marketplace. The vulnerability specifically affects the plugin's REST API architecture which should enforce proper access controls but instead permits unauthorized data access through predictable parameter manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to enable active financial fraud and data manipulation within the marketplace ecosystem. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive payment information including PayPal email addresses, bank account details, routing numbers, IBAN codes, and SWIFT codes from other vendors' store settings. Beyond data theft, the vulnerability allows attackers to modify PayPal email addresses to their own controlled addresses, creating a mechanism for financial theft when the marketplace processes vendor payouts. This enables attackers to redirect payments intended for legitimate vendors to their own accounts, potentially affecting multiple vendors simultaneously and creating significant financial losses for marketplace operators and their vendors.
Organizations utilizing the Dokan plugin should immediately implement mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to a patched version of the plugin that properly validates user permissions and implements proper access controls for the REST API endpoints. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing network-level restrictions and monitoring for unusual API access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control in software systems, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, as attackers can leverage legitimate user accounts to access unauthorized resources. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive audits of their marketplace data access controls and implement additional security measures such as API rate limiting and enhanced logging to detect potential exploitation attempts.