CVE-2025-5018
Summary
by MITRE • 06/06/2025
The Hive Support plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access and modification of data due to a missing capability check on the hs_update_ai_chat_settings() and hive_lite_support_get_all_binbox() functions in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.4. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to read and overwrite the site’s OpenAI API key and inspection data or modify AI-chat prompts and behavior. This vulnerability is potentially a duplicate of CVE-2025-32208 or/and CVE-2025-32242.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2026
The Hive Support plugin for WordPress presents a critical security vulnerability that undermines the integrity and confidentiality of user data through inadequate access controls. This weakness affects all versions up to and including 1.2.4, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers who possess Subscriber-level privileges or higher to exploit the system. The vulnerability stems from the absence of proper capability checks within two key functions: hs_update_ai_chat_settings() and hive_lite_support_get_all_binbox(). These functions handle sensitive operations that should be restricted to administrators or users with elevated permissions, yet they fail to verify whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges before executing their respective actions.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing authorization check that allows unauthorized users to manipulate critical system parameters. When an attacker with Subscriber-level access invokes either of these functions, they can bypass normal security restrictions and gain access to the site's OpenAI API key, which represents a significant exposure point for potential misuse. Additionally, the vulnerability enables modification of AI-chat prompts and behavioral configurations, potentially allowing attackers to alter how automated support systems operate. This capability could be leveraged to redirect users to malicious content or manipulate customer service interactions in ways that compromise both user experience and system security. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-863, which addresses "Incorrect Authorization" issues where the system fails to properly verify that an actor is authorized to perform a requested operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, creating potential avenues for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker with access to the OpenAI API key could potentially consume excessive resources or redirect API calls to malicious endpoints, resulting in financial losses or service disruption. The ability to modify AI-chat settings opens opportunities for social engineering attacks where attackers could manipulate automated responses to gather sensitive information from users or direct them toward phishing attempts. Furthermore, this vulnerability could serve as a foothold for privilege escalation attacks, where initial access through the plugin's weakness leads to broader system compromise. According to ATT&CK framework, this represents a technique under T1078 "Valid Accounts" and T1566 "Phishing", as attackers can leverage legitimate user accounts to perform malicious activities that would otherwise be restricted.
Security practitioners should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest plugin version where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper capability checks. Organizations should also conduct thorough access reviews to ensure that only necessary users maintain Subscriber-level privileges or higher. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual API key access patterns or configuration changes that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing least-privilege principles and proper input validation in web applications, particularly when handling sensitive data such as API keys and automated system configurations. Regular security assessments of third-party plugins should include verification of authorization controls and capability checks to prevent similar issues from emerging in other components of the WordPress ecosystem.
The potential duplication of this vulnerability with CVE-2025-32208 and CVE-2025-32242 suggests a broader pattern of inadequate access control implementation across related security functions. This overlap indicates that similar weaknesses may exist within other plugin components or systems, warranting comprehensive review of authorization mechanisms throughout the application stack. Security teams should monitor for additional related vulnerabilities and ensure that all user-facing functions implement proper capability verification before executing sensitive operations. The incident underscores the need for robust security testing practices including automated scanning for authorization bypasses and manual code reviews focusing on privilege escalation pathways in WordPress plugins.
This vulnerability serves as a reminder of how seemingly minor implementation oversights can create significant security exposure points within complex systems. The absence of capability checks in critical functions represents a fundamental failure in application security design that directly violates established security principles including principle of least privilege and defense in depth. Organizations should consider implementing automated security scanning tools that can detect missing authorization checks during development and deployment phases, preventing these issues from reaching production environments. The remediation process requires not only patching the specific vulnerability but also establishing comprehensive security review processes for all plugin installations to ensure proper access control implementation across all system components.