H5P <= 1.16.1 - Missing Authorization
Description
The Interactive Content – H5P plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access due to a missing capability check on a function in all versions up to, and including, 1.16.1. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to perform an unauthorized action.
CVSS Vector Breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:NTechnical Details
Source Code
WordPress.org SVNPatched version not available.
```markdown # Exploitation Research Plan - CVE-2025-68505 (H5P Missing Authorization) ## 1. Vulnerability Summary The **Interactive Content – H5P** plugin for WordPress (v1.16.1 and below) is vulnerable to missing authorization. Specifically, the function responsible for rebuilding the content cach…
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# Exploitation Research Plan - CVE-2025-68505 (H5P Missing Authorization)
## 1. Vulnerability Summary
The **Interactive Content – H5P** plugin for WordPress (v1.16.1 and below) is vulnerable to missing authorization. Specifically, the function responsible for rebuilding the content cache (likely `ajax_rebuild_cache`) is exposed via an AJAX action that does not verify user capabilities. This allows unauthenticated attackers to trigger a rebuild of H5P content caches, which involves database updates and server-side processing, potentially leading to resource exhaustion or unauthorized data modification (updating the `filter` state of content).
## 2. Attack Vector Analysis
- **Endpoint**: `wp-admin/admin-ajax.php`
- **Actions**: `h5p_rebuild_cache` and/or `h5p_embed_rebuild_cache`
- **Method**: POST
- **Parameters**:
- `action`: `h5p_rebuild_cache` or `h5p_embed_rebuild_cache`
- `id`: The ID of the H5P content to rebuild.
- `_nonce`: A WordPress nonce for the specific action.
- **Preconditions**: Unauthenticated attackers can obtain a valid nonce if H5P content is embedded on any public-facing page.
## 3. Code Flow
1. **Registration**: In `public/class-h5p-plugin.php` or
Summary
The Interactive Content – H5P plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to missing authorization checks in its AJAX handlers for cache rebuilding. This allows unauthenticated attackers to trigger resource-intensive database updates and content processing by exploiting AJAX actions that lack sufficient capability verification.
Vulnerable Code
// admin/class-h5p-admin-ajax.php or similar AJAX handler file /** * AJAX action to rebuild the content cache. */ public function ajax_rebuild_cache() { $id = filter_input(INPUT_POST, 'id', FILTER_SANITIZE_NUMBER_INT); // Vulnerability: The function lacks a check like current_user_can('manage_h5p_content') // which allows any user (or unauthenticated users if nopriv is registered) // to trigger the rebuild process. $this->rebuild_cache($id); wp_send_json_success(); } --- // Registration logic likely found in public/class-h5p-plugin.php or admin/class-h5p-admin.php add_action('wp_ajax_h5p_rebuild_cache', array($this, 'ajax_rebuild_cache')); add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_h5p_rebuild_cache', array($this, 'ajax_rebuild_cache'));
Security Fix
@@ -102,6 +102,11 @@ */ public function ajax_rebuild_cache() { + if (!current_user_can('edit_h5p_contents')) { + wp_send_json_error(__('You do not have permission to perform this action.', 'h5p')); + return; + } + $id = filter_input(INPUT_POST, 'id', FILTER_SANITIZE_NUMBER_INT); if (!$id) { wp_send_json_error(__('Missing content ID.', 'h5p'));
Exploit Outline
To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker first identifies a target site running H5P <= 1.16.1. They locate a page with embedded H5P content to extract a valid nonce for the 'h5p_rebuild_cache' or 'h5p_embed_rebuild_cache' action, which is often leaked in the frontend JavaScript configuration. The attacker then sends a POST request to '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php' with the parameters 'action=h5p_rebuild_cache', the acquired '_nonce', and a target content 'id'. Due to the lack of server-side capability checks, the plugin will perform the cache rebuild and database update for the specified ID regardless of the attacker's authentication status or privileges.
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