The WP Headless CMS Framework plugin for WordPress suffers from a protection mechanism failure classified under CWE-693. The vulnerability arises because the plugin's logic to bypass nonce verification only checks for the presence of the Authorization header in incoming HTTP requests. This simplistic check allows attackers to craft requests that include an Authorization header, thereby bypassing nonce protections intended to prevent unauthorized access. Since nonce verification is a critical security control to ensure that requests are legitimate and authorized, bypassing it can lead to unauthorized content access. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.15 of the plugin. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3, indicating a medium severity level, with the vector indicating network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and limited confidentiality impact. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date. The issue stems from flawed logic in the plugin's authorization mechanism rather than a cryptographic or implementation bug, making it a design weakness that can be exploited remotely without authentication.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or proprietary content hosted on WordPress sites using the WP Headless CMS Framework plugin. This exposure could affect confidentiality, potentially leading to data leaks of internal documents, client information, or intellectual property. Although the vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability, the unauthorized access risk can undermine trust, violate data protection regulations such as GDPR, and damage organizational reputation. Organizations in sectors with strict compliance requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and government, may face regulatory scrutiny if sensitive data is exposed. The ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of automated scanning and exploitation attempts by threat actors. However, the lack of known active exploits currently reduces immediate risk but should not lead to complacency.

1. Immediately update the WP Headless CMS Framework plugin to a patched version once available from the vendor. 2. If a patch is not yet available, implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block requests containing suspicious or unauthorized Authorization headers to prevent nonce bypass attempts. 3. Conduct thorough access control reviews on WordPress sites using this plugin to ensure sensitive content is not exposed through alternative means. 4. Monitor web server logs for unusual requests containing Authorization headers from unauthenticated sources. 5. Restrict access to administrative and sensitive endpoints via IP whitelisting or VPN where feasible. 6. Educate development and security teams about the risks of relying solely on header presence for authorization decisions and encourage secure coding practices. 7. Regularly audit and test WordPress plugins for security weaknesses, especially those handling authentication and authorization.