Hotel Booking <= 3.8 - Missing Authorization

This research plan outlines the process for identifying and exploiting CVE-2025-63001, a missing authorization vulnerability in the Hotel Booking (nd-booking) plugin for WordPress (versions ≤ 3.8).

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1. Vulnerability Summary

The Hotel Booking plugin (slug: nd-booking) fails to implement proper capability checks (authorization) on specific AJAX handlers or initialization functions. This allows unauthenticated users to trigger functions intended for administrators. Given the CVSS (5.3) and Integrity: Low rating, the vulnerability likely allows an attacker to modify non-critical plugin settings or metadata rather than achieving full site takeover.

2. Attack Vector Analysis

• Endpoint: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php (for AJAX-based issues) or /wp-admin/admin-post.php (for form-based issues).
• Action Parameter: The action variable in the POST request triggers the vulnerable function.
• Authentication: None required (unauthenticated).
• Preconditions: The plugin must be active. A valid WordPress nonce for the specific action may be required if a check_ajax_referer call exists without an accompanying current_user_can check.

3. Code Flow (Identification Phase)

To ground the research, the agent must first identify the specific vulnerable function using these steps:

1. Locate AJAX Handlers: Search for unauthenticated AJAX registrations in the plugin directory.

   grep -r "wp_ajax_nopriv_nd_booking_" /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/nd-booking/
   

2. Verify Missing Authorization: For each function discovered in Step 1, check if it lacks a current_user_can() check.
   • Example target: nd_booking_save_settings_php_function (inferred) or nd_booking_update_status_php_function (inferred).
3. Trace Logic: Look for functions that use update_option(), wp_update_post(), or $wpdb->update() without verifying the user's role.

4. Nonce Acquisition Strategy

If the identified function calls check_ajax_referer('some_action_string', 'some_nonce_key'), the agent must obtain a nonce. Since nonces are user-bound (UID 0 for unauthenticated), the agent can extract one from the frontend.

1. Identify Shortcode: Find a shortcode that enqueues the plugin's frontend scripts. Common nd-booking shortcodes include [nd_booking_search_form] or [nd_booking_calendar].
2. Setup Page: Create a temporary public page containing the shortcode:

   wp post create --post_type=page --post_status=publish --post_title="Booking Test" --post_content='[nd_booking_search_form]'
   

3. Extract Nonce: Use the browser to find the localized script data.
   • Search the plugin source for wp_localize_script. Look for the object name (e.g., nd_booking_my_js_vars).
   • Use browser_eval to extract the nonce:

     // Example (inferred variable names)
     window.nd_booking_ajax_object?.nd_booking_nonce
     

5. Exploitation Strategy

Once the action and nonce are identified, perform the following:

1. Construct Request:
   • Method: POST
   • URL: http://localhost:8080/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
   • Headers: Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
   • Body:

     action=nd_booking_VULNERABLE_ACTION&nd_booking_nonce=EXTRACTED_NONCE&param_to_change=malicious_value
     

2. Target Selection (Inferred):
   If the vulnerability is in a settings update function, the goal is to change a plugin setting like nd_booking_currency or nd_booking_recipient_email.

6. Test Data Setup

1. Plugin Install: Ensure nd-booking v3.8 is installed and activated.
2. Configuration: Configure at least one "Room" or "Accommodation" post type to ensure the plugin's logic is fully initialized.
3. Public Page: Create the page mentioned in Section 4 to facilitate nonce extraction.

7. Expected Results

• Success Indicator: The HTTP response returns a 200 OK or a JSON success message (e.g., {"success":true}).
• Integrity Impact: A plugin setting or post metadata is modified in the database.

8. Verification Steps

After sending the exploit request, verify the change via WP-CLI:

# If an option was changed:
wp option get nd_booking_specific_setting_name

# If post meta was changed:
wp post meta list <POST_ID> --keys=nd_booking_target_meta

9. Alternative Approaches

• Missing Nonce Check: If the code uses wp_ajax_nopriv_ but also neglects to call check_ajax_referer, the exploit can be performed without Section 4.
• admin_init Hook: Check for functions hooked to admin_init in nd-booking.php. These functions run on every admin-ajax.php request, even for unauthenticated users. If such a function processes $_POST data without a capability check, it is an alternative entry point.

  grep -r "add_action.*admin_init" /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/nd-booking/