Stratum Widgets for Elementor <= 1.6.1 - Missing Authorization

This plan outlines the steps to research and exploit CVE-2025-69013, a missing authorization vulnerability in the Stratum Widgets for Elementor plugin (<= 1.6.1). This vulnerability allows Subscriber-level users to perform unauthorized actions typically reserved for administrators.

---

1. Vulnerability Summary

• Vulnerability: Missing Authorization (Broken Access Control)
• Affected Plugin: Stratum Widgets for Elementor (slug: stratum)
• Affected Versions: <= 1.6.1
• Description: The plugin registers AJAX handlers via wp_ajax_ without implementing capability checks (e.g., current_user_can( 'manage_options' )) within the callback functions. While these handlers may check for a WordPress nonce to prevent CSRF, they fail to verify if the authenticated user has the required permissions to execute the logic.

2. Attack Vector Analysis

• Endpoint: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
• HTTP Method: POST
• Authentication: Authenticated (Subscriber or higher)
• Payload Parameter: action (specifying the vulnerable function)
• Preconditions:
  1. A valid Subscriber account.
  2. A valid nonce for the specific action (if enforced).
  3. The plugin must be active.

3. Code Flow (Inferred/Discovery)

To identify the exact sink, the agent must first locate the AJAX registration.

1. Entry Point: add_action( 'wp_ajax_...', ... ) located in the plugin's admin or AJAX handler files.
2. Target File Search:

   grep -rn "wp_ajax_" /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/stratum/
   

   Probable location: includes/admin/class-admin.php or a dedicated class-ajax.php.
3. Vulnerable Sink: The handler function associated with the wp_ajax_ hook.
   • Missing Check: The function will likely lack a current_user_can() call at the start.
   • Nonce Check: It likely calls check_ajax_referer() or wp_verify_nonce().

4. Nonce Acquisition Strategy

Stratum often localizes data for its settings pages or Elementor editor.

1. Identify Nonce Source:
   Search for wp_localize_script to see which variable holds the nonce.

   grep -rn "wp_localize_script" /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/stratum/
   

2. Trigger Nonce Generation:
   Create a page that triggers the loading of the Stratum scripts or visit the Stratum settings page (if accessible).
   • Action: Use WP-CLI to create a page with a Stratum widget shortcode (if applicable) or check if the admin dashboard for a Subscriber exposes the nonce.
   • Shortcode discovery: grep -rn "add_shortcode" /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/stratum/
3. Browser Extraction:
   Navigate to the page as a Subscriber and use browser_eval to extract the nonce.
   • Localization Key (Inferred): stratum_admin_settings or stratum_ajax_object.
   • Command: browser_eval("window.stratum_admin_data?.nonce") (Agent must verify the actual key name).

5. Exploitation Strategy

The goal is to perform an unauthorized action (e.g., modifying plugin settings or importing data).

Step-by-Step Plan:

1. Target Identification: Identify a sensitive AJAX action (e.g., stratum_save_settings, stratum_update_template, or stratum_toggle_widget).
2. Login: Log in as a Subscriber user via wp_login_user.
3. Navigate: Use browser_navigate to a page where the Stratum nonce is localized (likely any page if the plugin enqueues globally, or the dashboard).
4. Extract Nonce: Use browser_eval to grab the nonce for the identified action.
5. Craft Request: Use http_request to send a POST to admin-ajax.php.

Example HTTP Request (Template):

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:8080
Content-Type: application-x-www-form-urlencoded
Cookie: [Subscriber Cookies]

action=[VULNERABLE_ACTION_NAME]&_wpnonce=[EXTRACTED_NONCE]&[OTHER_PARAMS]=[MALICIOUS_VALUE]

6. Test Data Setup

1. Plugin Installation: Ensure Stratum Widgets for Elementor v1.6.1 is installed and active.
2. Subscriber User:

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

3. Initial State Verification: Record the current value of a target option (e.g., stratum_settings).

   wp option get stratum_settings
   

7. Expected Results

• Success Response: The server returns a 200 OK or {"success":true} response.
• Unauthorized Action: A plugin setting is changed, a widget is disabled/enabled, or data is modified despite the attacker only having Subscriber permissions.

8. Verification Steps

After sending the HTTP request, verify the impact using WP-CLI:

1. Check Options: If the exploit targeted settings:

   wp option get stratum_settings
   

2. Check Meta: If the exploit targeted post meta:

   wp post meta list [ID]
   

3. Check Behavior: Confirm the setting change is reflected in the WordPress admin UI or frontend.

9. Alternative Approaches

If the primary AJAX handler is not exploitable or requires a strictly admin-only nonce:

• Search for wp_ajax_nopriv_: Check if any unauthenticated actions are also missing capability/nonce checks.
• Elementor Editor Context: Check if the vulnerability exists within the Elementor editor AJAX handlers (elementor_ajax) if Stratum registers custom components there, which often have weaker permission checks.
• Settings Export/Import: Look for stratum_import or stratum_export actions which could lead to more significant impact (e.g., uploading malicious JSON payloads).

10. Potential Action Identifiers to Grep

During the research phase, the agent should prioritize looking for these strings in the source:

• stratum_save_settings
• stratum_widget_status_toggle
• stratum_template_data
• stratum_admin_nonce
• stratum_settings_nonce