CVE-2025-22686 in CF7 Google Sheets Connector Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/03/2025
Missing Authorization vulnerability in GSheetConnector CF7 Google Sheets Connector allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. This issue affects CF7 Google Sheets Connector: from n/a through 5.0.17.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2025
The CVE-2025-22686 vulnerability represents a critical authorization flaw within the GSheetConnector CF7 Google Sheets Connector plugin, which operates as a bridge between Contact Form 7 and Google Sheets services. This security weakness stems from improperly configured access control mechanisms that fail to adequately verify user permissions before granting access to sensitive data processing functions. The vulnerability exists across all versions of the plugin from the initial release through version 5.0.17, indicating a persistent architectural flaw that has remained unaddressed for an extended period. The affected plugin serves as a middleware component that enables contact form submissions to be automatically exported to Google Sheets, making it a potential target for attackers seeking unauthorized access to business-critical data.
The technical implementation of this authorization bypass occurs when the plugin fails to properly validate whether the requesting user possesses the necessary permissions to access or modify Google Sheets data through the Contact Form 7 interface. This misconfiguration allows malicious actors to exploit the connector without proper authentication or authorization, potentially gaining access to sensitive information that users intended to keep private. The vulnerability manifests when the plugin does not adequately verify user roles, capabilities, or session tokens before executing data export operations to Google Sheets. This flaw directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and proper access control enforcement, creating an attack surface where unauthorized individuals can manipulate data flows and potentially exfiltrate sensitive information.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Contact Form 7 for customer data collection and processing. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to customer submissions, personal identifiable information, and business-sensitive data stored in connected Google Sheets. The implications extend beyond simple data exposure, as this vulnerability could enable attackers to modify or delete data within connected spreadsheets, potentially disrupting business operations and violating data integrity requirements. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it leverages the legitimate functionality of the plugin, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems that might not flag normal-looking data export operations as suspicious activities. Organizations using this plugin may face compliance violations under regulations such as gdpr and hipaa, depending on the nature of the data being processed.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the authorization flaw, though organizations must verify that patches properly resolve the underlying access control issues. Security hardening measures include implementing additional authentication layers, reviewing and restricting user permissions within the plugin configuration, and monitoring access logs for unauthorized activities. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level controls to restrict access to the plugin endpoints and establish automated monitoring for unusual data export patterns. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the threat. Regular security assessments of third-party plugins and maintaining up-to-date security practices remain crucial for preventing similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities in web applications.