插件名稱	Felan Framework
Type of Vulnerability	Authorization Bypass
CVE Number	CVE-2025-10849
Urgency	Low
CVE Publish Date	2025-10-16
Source URL	CVE-2025-10849

Felan Framework (≤ 1.1.4) — Authorization Bypass Allows Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Plugin Activation/Deactivation (CVE-2025-10849)

In-depth analysis, risk assessment, and mitigation guidance from the Managed-WP Security Experts

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執行摘要： A critical access control vulnerability has been identified in the Felan Framework WordPress plugin versions up to 1.1.4. This flaw arises from an authorization bypass in the plugin’s process_plugin_actions handler, which improperly allows authenticated low-privilege users—such as Subscribers—to activate or deactivate plugins without proper permission checks or nonce verification. Exploiting this gap could facilitate disabling security-critical plugins, activating harmful plugins, and ultimately compromising the site’s integrity. The issue is resolved in Felan Framework version 1.1.5 (CVE-2025-10849). Below, we provide a detailed technical breakdown, real-world impact assessment, detection techniques, immediate mitigations, recovery strategies, and advanced hardening recommendations tailored for WordPress administrators and security teams.

目錄

• Summary of the Incident
• Technical Vulnerability Breakdown
• Exploitability Analysis: Attack Vectors & Constraints
• Potential Impact and Threat Scenarios
• Detection: Log and Database Indicators
• Short-term Mitigations if Immediate Updates Aren’t Possible
• Recovery Protocols Post-Compromise
• Hardening Measures for Long-Term Security
• How Managed-WP’s Solutions Defend Your Site
• Suggested WAF Rule Concepts
• Appendix: WP-CLI & SQL Commands for Diagnostics

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Summary of the Incident

The Felan Framework plugin included a request handler for activating and deactivating plugins without enforcing robust authorization checks:

• Missing capability verification such as current_user_can('activate_plugins')
• Lack of nonce verification via check_admin_referer() 或者 wp_verify_nonce()

This omission allows any authenticated user—even those with minimal privileges like Subscribers—to manipulate plugin states that should be restricted exclusively to administrators. The maintainers released Felan Framework 1.1.5 to patch this vulnerability, tracked under CVE-2025-10849. The severity is considered low to medium depending on your environment, especially if accounts are open to public registration or untrusted users.

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Technical Vulnerability Breakdown

Below is a conceptual illustration of the vulnerable code pattern (simplified and sanitized):

<?php
function process_plugin_actions() {
    $action = isset($_REQUEST['action_type']) ? $_REQUEST['action_type'] : '';
    $plugin = isset($_REQUEST['plugin']) ? $_REQUEST['plugin'] : '';

    if ($action === 'activate') {
        activate_plugin( $plugin );
    } elseif ($action === 'deactivate') {
        deactivate_plugins( $plugin );
    }
}
add_action( 'admin_post_process_plugin_actions', 'process_plugin_actions' );
add_action( 'admin_ajax_process_plugin_actions', 'process_plugin_actions' );
?>

Critical missing checks include:

• No validation of user capabilities (current_user_can('activate_plugins'))
• No nonce validation (CSRF protection) via check_admin_referer() 或者 wp_verify_nonce()
• Exposure via endpoints (admin-ajax.php, admin-post.php) accessible to low-privilege authenticated users

The secure corrected pattern should include authorization and nonce verification as follows:

<?php
function process_plugin_actions() {
    if ( ! current_user_can( 'activate_plugins' ) ) {
        wp_die( 'Insufficient privileges', 403 );
    }

    check_admin_referer( 'bulk-plugins' ); // Validate nonce

    $action = sanitize_text_field( $_REQUEST['action_type'] ?? '' );
    $plugin = sanitize_text_field( $_REQUEST['plugin'] ?? '' );

    if ( $action === 'activate' ) {
        activate_plugin( $plugin );
    } elseif ( $action === 'deactivate' ) {
        deactivate_plugins( $plugin );
    }
}
?>

Missing these controls results in Broken Access Control, classified as OWASP Top 10 A05 risk.

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Exploitability Analysis: Attack Vectors & Constraints

Key factors affecting exploit potential include:

1. User Registration Policies: Sites permitting self-registration or open user signups are at greater risk since attackers can create low-privilege accounts.
2. Accessibility of the Endpoint: If plugin actions are reachable through admin-ajax.php 或者 admin-post.php for authenticated users, attackers can exploit without admin credentials.
3. Available Plugins: The presence of malicious, dormant, or vulnerable plugins increases damage potential from unauthorized activation/deactivation.
4. Monitoring and Logging: Strong audit trails can reveal attacks quickly; absence of logging allows prolonged undetected exploitation.

Overall, the vulnerability is practically exploitable in many WordPress environments, especially community, membership, or user-driven sites.

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Potential Impact and Threat Scenarios

Real-world ramifications include:

• Low-privilege users deactivating security plugins and enabling backdoor or malware plugins.
• Compromised low-level accounts destabilizing sites by turning off caching or maintenance plugins.
• Attackers activating plugins with known remote code execution flaws to deepen control.
• Disabling monitoring tools, blinding administrators to intrusions or malicious activity.

Severity Breakdown:

• Confidentiality: Medium risk (via potential data leaks with malicious plugins)
• Integrity: High risk (backdoors and code execution can compromise trust)
• Availability: Medium risk (plugin changes causing outages)
• Context-dependent: Risk varies with site configuration and exposure

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Detection: Log and Database Indicators

Web Server Logs

• Look for POST requests to:
  • /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=process_plugin_actions
  • /wp-admin/admin-post.php?action=process_plugin_actions
  • Requests with suspicious parameters like 外掛, action_type, or missing _wpnonce
• Example log snippet:
  2025-10-16T12:22:11Z POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=process_plugin_actions plugin=hello-dolly.php action_type=activate 200 "-" "Mozilla/5.0..."

WordPress Activity and Database Logs

• Check active_plugins field in the wp_options table for unexpected modifications:

  SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'active_plugins';

• Audit logs tracking plugin activation/deactivation by low-privilege users

File System Indicators

• Unrecognized or recently modified plugin directories in wp-content/plugins/
• Plugin file timestamps inconsistent with known maintenance activity

User and Session Checks

• New or suspicious user accounts, unusual email addresses
• Concurrent sessions for low-privilege users performing plugin changes

Helpful WP-CLI Commands

• List all active plugins:
  wp plugin list --status=active
• Deactivate suspicious plugins:
  wp plugin deactivate plugin-slug
• Show recent plugin file modifications:
  ls -lt wp-content/plugins

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Short-term Mitigations if Immediate Updates Aren’t Possible

The most reliable action is to upgrade to Felan Framework 1.1.5 immediately. If that’s not feasible, implement one or more of the following:

1. WAF or Firewall Rule to Restrict Access to Vulnerable Endpoint
   • Block requests containing action=process_plugin_actions except for trusted admin IPs or authenticated admin sessions.
   • Managed-WP’s firewall solution can provision this virtual patch automatically.
2. Deploy a Temporary Must-Use Plugin to Enforce Capability Checks

   Create wp-content/mu-plugins/block-felan-actions.php with this content:

   <?php
   // mu-plugin: block-felan-actions.php
   add_action( 'admin_init', function() {
       $action = $_REQUEST['action'] ?? '';
       if ( $action === 'process_plugin_actions' ) {
           if ( ! is_user_logged_in() || ! current_user_can( 'activate_plugins' ) ) {
               wp_die( 'Unauthorized', 403 );
           }
       }
   } );
   ?>
   

   This blocks unauthorized calls until you can update the plugin.

3. Enforce Strict Capability Assignments

   Ensure only administrators have activate_plugins capability. Validate custom roles or plugins for misconfigurations.

4. Disable or Limit User Registration

   If open registration isn’t required, disable it via Settings → General → Membership.

5. IP-Based Restrictions for Admin Dashboards

   Restrict /wp-admin access via trusted IPs through your webserver or hosting controls.

Remember: these mitigations are temporary until the official patch is applied.

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Recovery Protocols Post-Compromise

1. Isolate Site — Enable maintenance mode or snapshot the environment.
2. Backup Completely — Preserve files and database for forensic analysis.
3. Catalog Active Plugins — Use wp plugin list --status=active to identify unexpected activations.
4. Inspect for Malicious or Unknown Plugins — Check for unfamiliar plugin folders or altered files.
5. Deactivate/Remove Malicious Plugins
6. Rotate Credentials — Update passwords for all admin and suspect accounts; destroy active sessions with wp user session destroy <user-id>.
7. Search for Persistence Mechanisms — Review cron jobs, suspicious PHP files, and unexpected wp_options entries.
8. Perform Malware Scans — Use multiple tools including Managed-WP’s malware scanner for comprehensive detection.
9. Restore from Clean Backups if Necessary — If cleanup proves difficult, roll back and immediately patch vulnerabilities.
10. Establish Forensics and Monitoring — Analyze logs and user activity; increase sensitivity of alerts.
11. Implement Post-Incident Hardening — Follow security hardening guidance below.

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Hardening Measures for Long-Term Security

• Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins up-to-date regularly with testing on staging environments.
• Minimize installed plugins to reduce attack surface.
• Enforce strict user registration policies and vet new user accounts carefully.
• Apply least privilege principle with role and capability audits, especially on custom roles.
• Use strong admin authentication practices:
  • Avoid generic usernames (e.g., “admin”)
  • Enforce strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
• Enable robust audit logging and monitor plugin activation/deactivation events.
• Deploy file integrity monitoring for plugin directories and critical wp-content paths.
• Implement IP-based restrictions on sensitive endpoints where feasible.
• Use a Web Application Firewall capable of virtual patching and fine-grained rules.
• Regularly review and clean up user accounts, removing stale or unused users.

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How Managed-WP Protects Your Site

Managed-WP delivers comprehensive WordPress security via layered defenses including:

• Managed Firewall & WAF: Our Web Application Firewall supports virtual patching to instantly block exploit attempts like unauthorized process_plugin_actions calls, offering critical protection even before official plugin updates.
• Malware Scanning & Mitigation: Our automated scanner detects suspicious files and known payload patterns in plugins and themes, with advanced mitigation options on higher tiers.
• Audit Logging & Alerting: We track plugin state changes and alert site admins on abnormal activity—particularly those initiated by non-admin users.
• Flexible Tiered Plans:
  • Basic (Free) — Essential WAF, malware scanning, OWASP Top 10 risk mitigation.
  • Standard ($50/year) — Adds automatic malware removal and IP blacklist/whitelist management.
  • Pro ($299/year) — Includes monthly reports, advanced virtual patching, and premium managed services.

For immediate protection as you update Felan Framework, Managed-WP’s firewall can deploy virtual patches blocking known exploitation patterns at no extra cost with our Basic plan.

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Get Instant Security — Start with Managed-WP’s Free Plan

If you seek immediate, managed protection while updating plugins, begin with our Basic plan. It includes a managed firewall, strong WAF coverage, continuous malware scans, and defenses against top WordPress threats. Start protecting your site today: https://my.wp-firewall.com/buy/wp-firewall-free-plan/

Plan overview:

• Basic (Free) — managed firewall, unlimited bandwidth, core WAF, malware scanner, OWASP Top 10 mitigation.
• Standard ($50/year) — adds automatic malware removal and IP blacklist/whitelist controls.
• Pro ($299/year) — monthly security reports, automatic virtual patching, and premium managed support.

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Suggested WAF Rule Concepts

Managed-WP develops virtual patch rules around these principles (non-exploitable pseudocode):

• Block or require administrator authentication for requests where:
  • URI contains admin-ajax.php 或者 admin-post.php
  • Request includes action=process_plugin_actions
  • Caller is not a verified administrator session
• Deny plugin activation/deactivation POST requests without valid WP nonces or performed by users lacking activate_plugins capability
• Rate-limit repeated calls to plugin management endpoints from single IP addresses

Example conceptual ModSecurity rules:

SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains admin-ajax.php" "phase:2,chain,deny,log,msg:'Block plugin action from non-admin'"
SecRule ARGS:action "@contains process_plugin_actions" "chain"
SecRule &REQUEST_HEADERS:Cookie "!@gt 0" "id:9999,deny"

Rules like these are fine-tuned at Managed-WP to minimize false positives while maximizing protection.

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Appendix: WP-CLI and SQL Commands for Diagnostics

List active plugins:

wp plugin list --status=active

Deactivate all plugins (caution advised):

wp plugin deactivate --all

Check active_plugins option in the database:

SELECT option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'active_plugins';

Find files modified within the last 7 days in the plugins directory:

find wp-content/plugins -type f -mtime -7 -ls
(lists files modified in the last 7 days)

Scan for suspicious PHP code:

grep -R --line-number "eval(" wp-content/plugins/
grep -R --line-number "base64_decode(" wp-content/

List users with roles and last login (requires audit plugin):

wp user list --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,roles,last_login

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Final Recommendations: A Concise Checklist

1. Update Felan Framework plugin to version 1.1.5 without delay.
2. If unable to update immediately:
   • Deploy the mu-plugin mitigation described above, or
   • Utilize Managed-WP’s virtual patching to block unauthorized process_plugin_actions requests.
3. Perform thorough scans for indicators of compromise.
4. Rotate credentials for all administrative and suspect accounts.
5. Implement recommended hardening measures, including 2FA and registration restrictions.
6. Consider upgrading to Managed-WP Pro for ongoing automated protection and advanced incident response.

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For assistance implementing these steps or activating virtual patches, Managed-WP’s dedicated security team is available around the clock. Remember: while patching the plugin is the ultimate solution, layered defense and rapid containment are essential to minimizing exposure during vulnerability windows.