Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system recently identified a significant vulnerability in the WooCommerce OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability, officially designated as CVE-2025-8342, poses a serious threat to any WordPress websites using this plugin for their authentication process. This vulnerability is particularly critical because it allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass One-Time Password (OTP) verification and gain administrative access to any user account with a configured phone number.
This security flaw could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage, causing significant harm to businesses and individuals alike. It’s crucial for any affected users to understand the nature of this vulnerability and take appropriate steps to mitigate its risks.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-8342
Severity: High (8.1 CVSS Severity Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
WooCommerce OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification Plugin | All versions up to and including 1.8.47
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability lies in the insufficient empty value checking in the lwp_ajax_register function of the WooCommerce OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification plugin for WordPress. When the Firebase API key is not configured properly, the plugin’s improper error handling could be exploited by an attacker.
An unauthenticated attacker can take advantage of this vulnerability by sending a crafted request that bypasses the OTP verification. This allows the attacker to gain administrative access to any user account with a configured phone number, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is not an actual exploit code but a simplified example to demonstrate the concept.
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=lwp_ajax_register HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"phone_number": "victim_phone_number",
"otp": "any_value"
}In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to the `lwp_ajax_register` endpoint with a victim’s phone number and any value as the OTP. Since the plugin does not properly check empty values, the request bypasses the OTP verification and the attacker gains administrative access to the victim’s account.
Mitigation Guidance
Users affected by this vulnerability should apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. As a temporary mitigation, users can also employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular system and plugin updates are also recommended to avoid potential vulnerabilities in the future.
