{"id":76119,"date":"2025-09-24T17:08:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T17:08:27","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-02T06:15:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T12:15:31","slug":"cve-2025-8942-manipulation-of-review-ratings-in-wp-hotel-booking-wordpress-plugin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-8942-manipulation-of-review-ratings-in-wp-hotel-booking-wordpress-plugin\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-8942: Manipulation of Review Ratings in WP Hotel Booking WordPress Plugin<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

The vulnerability denoted as CVE-2025-8942 is a significant security flaw that has been discovered in the WP Hotel Booking WordPress plugin versions before 2.2.3. This vulnerability primarily affects website administrators who use the WP Hotel Booking WordPress plugin to manage their hotel booking services. The severity of this vulnerability<\/a> cannot be understated. If cybercriminals exploit it successfully, it allows them to manipulate review ratings by intercepting and modifying requests, which can lead to system<\/a> compromise or data leakage.<\/p>\n

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

CVE ID: CVE-2025-8942
\nSeverity: Critical (9.1 CVSS Score)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: Low
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential system<\/a> compromise or data leakage<\/p>\n

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

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

WP Hotel Booking WordPress Plugin<\/a> | Before 2.2.3<\/p>\n

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

The vulnerability hinges on the lack of proper server-side validation for review ratings in the WP Hotel Booking WordPress<\/a> plugin. An attacker can exploit this flaw by intercepting the HTTP request that sends the review rating to the server. They can then manipulate the rating value, including sending negative or out-of-range values, before the request reaches the server. As there is no proper validation in place, the server accepts these manipulated ratings, leading to data<\/a> integrity issues.<\/p>\n

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

Below is a simple conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. In this example, the attacker intercepts the HTTP request and modifies the rating value.<\/p>\n

POST \/submit-review HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: application\/json\n{\n\"review\": {\n\"rating\": -5, \/* manipulated rating value *\/\n\"comment\": \"This is a test review.\"\n}\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n
After this manipulated request is sent, the server accepts the negative rating value due to the lack of proper validation, thus causing the system to display<\/a> manipulated review ratings.
\nTo mitigate this vulnerability, it is highly recommended that users update their WP Hotel Booking WordPress plugin<\/a> to version 2.2.3 or later. If an immediate update is not possible, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as temporary mitigation. Always remember that cybersecurity<\/a> is not a one-time task, but a continuous process that requires vigilance and regular updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview The vulnerability denoted as CVE-2025-8942 is a significant security flaw that has been discovered in the WP Hotel Booking WordPress plugin versions before 2.2.3. This vulnerability primarily affects website administrators who use the WP Hotel Booking WordPress plugin to manage their hotel booking services. The severity of this vulnerability cannot be understated. If cybercriminals […]<\/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":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-76119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"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