CVE-2025-3453 in Password Protected Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/17/2025
The Password Protected – Password Protect your WordPress Site, Pages, & WooCommerce Products – Restrict Content, Protect WooCommerce Category and more plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.7 via the 'password_protected_cookie' function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to extract sensitive data including all protected site content if the 'Use Transient' setting is enabled.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-3453 affects the Password Protected plugin for WordPress, a widely used solution for securing website content through password protection mechanisms. This plugin extends protection capabilities across entire sites, individual pages, WooCommerce products, and category restrictions, making it a critical component in many WordPress security implementations. The vulnerability resides within the 'password_protected_cookie' function which handles authentication cookies for protected content access. Security researchers have identified that all versions up to and including 2.7.7 contain this flaw, representing a significant risk to websites relying on this protection mechanism. The issue stems from improper handling of authentication state information within the cookie management system, creating an exploitable condition that undermines the core security purpose of the plugin.
The technical flaw manifests through the insecure processing of authentication cookies that should normally require valid credentials to access protected content. When the 'Use Transient' setting is enabled, the vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to extract sensitive information from the WordPress transient storage system. This configuration bypasses normal authentication checks and enables unauthorized access to protected content including entire websites, specific pages, and WooCommerce product information. The vulnerability can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers who craft malicious requests to access content that should be restricted, essentially undermining the entire password protection framework. This represents a critical failure in the plugin's access control implementation where the authentication state is not properly validated or secured.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for WordPress site administrators who depend on the plugin for content protection. Attackers can potentially access sensitive business data, customer information, product catalogs, and proprietary content that should remain restricted to authorized users only. The vulnerability affects not just standard WordPress pages but also extends to WooCommerce product information, potentially exposing commercial data that could be used for competitive advantage or financial gain. Site owners may experience unauthorized access to restricted administrative content, compromising the integrity of their protected areas. The exposure of protected content through this vulnerability could result in significant financial loss, regulatory compliance violations, and reputational damage to organizations relying on the plugin for security.
Organizations should immediately update to the latest version of the Password Protected plugin to address this vulnerability, as no patches were available at the time of reporting. The recommended mitigation strategy involves disabling the 'Use Transient' setting in the plugin configuration while implementing additional security measures such as network-level access controls and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of protected content to identify any unauthorized access that may have occurred during the vulnerability window. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege in access control systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) as attackers may use the exposed information for further targeting and reconnaissance activities. Additional defensive measures should include implementing web application firewalls, monitoring cookie-based authentication patterns, and establishing automated alerting for unusual access patterns to protected content areas.