CVE-2025-24571 in WP Fast Total Search Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/24/2025
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Epsiloncool WP Fast Total Search allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. This issue affects WP Fast Total Search: from n/a through 1.78.258.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-24571 represents a critical authorization flaw within the Epsiloncool WP Fast Total Search plugin, specifically impacting versions ranging from the initial release through 1.78.258. This missing authorization vulnerability falls under the CWE-284 category of Improper Access Control, where the system fails to properly verify that an actor has sufficient permissions to access a resource or perform a specific action. The flaw manifests as incorrectly configured access control security levels that allow unauthorized actors to exploit the system's search functionality without proper authentication or authorization checks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to validate user permissions before executing search operations or accessing sensitive administrative functions. When a malicious actor interacts with the WP Fast Total Search plugin, they can bypass the intended access control mechanisms that should restrict certain search capabilities or data retrieval operations to authorized users only. This misconfiguration creates a pathway for attackers to potentially access restricted content, manipulate search parameters, or perform unauthorized administrative actions through the plugin's interface. The vulnerability specifically affects WordPress environments where the plugin is installed and active, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where different permission levels exist.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information within the WordPress ecosystem. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could potentially access search results that should be restricted to specific user roles, retrieve administrative search data, or manipulate the search functionality to bypass normal access controls. This represents a significant risk to organizations relying on WordPress for content management, particularly those with complex user permission structures or sensitive data repositories. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the plugin's access control implementation that requires immediate attention and remediation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-24571 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the authorization flaw, as recommended by the plugin vendor and security advisories. Organizations should implement additional network-level controls and monitoring to detect anomalous search activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by ensuring that only authorized users have access to the affected plugin functionality, and regular security audits should verify proper access control configurations. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious search parameter patterns associated with exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Phishing, as attackers may leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access through improperly configured access controls rather than traditional credential theft methods.