{"id":49151,"date":"2025-06-05T17:28:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T17:28:50","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-12T17:54:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T23:54:44","slug":"cve-2025-5190-authentication-bypass-vulnerability-in-wordpress-s-browse-as-plugin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-5190-authentication-bypass-vulnerability-in-wordpress-s-browse-as-plugin\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>CVE-2025-5190: Authentication Bypass Vulnerability in WordPress&#8217;s Browse As Plugin<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the cybersecurity landscape, vulnerabilities are a constant threat that need to be identified and mitigated. One such vulnerability, CVE-2025-5190, affects the Browse As plugin for WordPress. WordPress, being a widely used CMS (Content <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-32975-quest-kace-systems-management-appliance-authentication-bypass-vulnerability\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"64139\">Management System<\/a>), makes this vulnerability particularly significant.<br \/>\nThe flaw is due to incorrect authentication checking in a specific function of the plugin, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2021-47669-linux-kernel-vulnerability-allowing-potential-system-compromise\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"58108\">potentially allows<\/a> an authenticated attacker, with subscriber-level permissions, to log in as any user, including administrators. This can lead to serious consequences such as system compromise or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-48383-django-select2-vulnerability-risking-data-leakage-and-unauthorized-access\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"56159\">data leakage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE ID: CVE-2025-5190<br \/>\nSeverity: High (CVSS Score: 8.8)<br \/>\nAttack Vector: Network<br \/>\nPrivileges Required: Low (Subscriber-level permissions)<br \/>\nUser Interaction: Required<br \/>\nImpact: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-31263-critical-memory-handling-vulnerability-could-lead-to-system-compromise-or-data-leakage-in-macos-sequoia-15-4\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57387\">System compromise<\/a>, data leakage<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affected Products<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-1722795269\" class=\"ameeb-content-2 ameeb-entity-placement\"><div style=\"border-left: 4px solid #555; padding-left: 20px; margin: 48px 0; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 700px;\">\r\n  <h2 style=\"margin-top: 0; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; display: flex; align-items: center;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; margin-right: 8px;\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Best-App-icon-Ameeba.png\" alt=\"Ameeba Chat Icon\" style=\"width: 40px; height: 40px;\" \/>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    A new way to communicate\r\n  <\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 12px;\">\r\n    Ameeba Chat is built on encrypted identity, not personal profiles.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 16px;\">\r\n    Message, call, share files, and coordinate with identities kept separate.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <ul style=\"list-style: none; padding-left: 0; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n    <li>\u2022 Encrypted identity<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Ameeba Chat authenticates access<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Aliases and categories<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 End-to-end encrypted chat, calls, and files<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Secure notes for sensitive information<\/li>\r\n  <\/ul>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\r\n    Private communication, rethought.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <div style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 12px;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\/download\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Download Ameeba Chat<\/a>\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ffffff; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Learn More<\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-5117-wordpress-property-plugin-privilege-escalation-vulnerability\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"55855\">WordPress Browse As Plugin<\/a> | Up to and including 0.2<\/p>\n<p><strong>How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The exploit leverages a flaw in the &#8216;IS_BA_Browse_As::notice&#8217; function of the Browse As plugin. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-27214-missing-authentication-for-critical-function-vulnerability-in-unifi-connect-ev-station-pro\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"82101\">function incorrectly checks the &#8216;is_ba_original_user_COOKIEHASH&#8217; cookie value for authentication<\/a>. As a result, an authenticated attacker with subscriber-level permissions can manipulate this cookie value to bypass the authentication <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-48881-unauthorized-access-and-modification-vulnerability-in-valtimo-business-process-automation\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57386\">process and gain access<\/a> as any existing user on the WordPress site.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-2865242966\" class=\"ameeb-content ameeb-entity-placement\"><div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"f6b387694f681\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Here is a conceptual example of how the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-45997-exploiting-file-upload-vulnerability-in-web-based-pharmacy-product-management-system\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57388\">vulnerability might be exploited<\/a>. The attacker manipulates the &#8216;is_ba_original_user_COOKIEHASH&#8217; cookie value in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-32105-buffer-overflow-vulnerability-in-sangoma-img2020-http-server-leading-to-remote-code-execution\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"58560\">HTTP request to the server<\/a>:<\/p>\n<pre><code class=\"\" data-line=\"\">GET \/wp-admin HTTP\/1.1\nHost: vulnerablewebsite.com\nCookie: is_ba_original_user_COOKIEHASH=[Manipulated Value]<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>In the above example, `[Manipulated Value]` is the manipulated cookie value that allows the attacker to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-41652-critical-authentication-bypass-vulnerability-in-multiple-devices\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"56158\">bypass authentication<\/a> and assume the identity of any existing user on the site.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mitigation and Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To mitigate this vulnerability, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-3054-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-wp-user-frontend-pro-plugin-for-wordpress\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"59241\">users of the Browse As plugin<\/a> for WordPress should apply the vendor&#8217;s patch immediately. In the absence of a patch or until the patch can be applied, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as temporary mitigation.<br \/>\nRemember, staying updated with the latest patches and security best practices is the best way to protect your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-5100-a-double-free-vulnerability-leading-to-potential-system-compromise\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"57389\">systems from vulnerabilities<\/a> like CVE-2025-5190.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview In the cybersecurity landscape, vulnerabilities are a constant threat that need to be identified and mitigated. One such vulnerability, CVE-2025-5190, affects the Browse As plugin for WordPress. WordPress, being a widely used CMS (Content Management System), makes this vulnerability particularly significant. The flaw is due to incorrect authentication checking in a specific function of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[75],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-49151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-authentication-bypass"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49151"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74574,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49151\/revisions\/74574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49151"},{"taxonomy":"vendor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vendor?post=49151"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=49151"},{"taxonomy":"attack_vector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attack_vector?post=49151"},{"taxonomy":"asset_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asset_type?post=49151"},{"taxonomy":"severity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/severity?post=49151"},{"taxonomy":"exploit_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exploit_status?post=49151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}