The AA Block Country plugin for WordPress, up to version 1.0.1, contains a vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-13694, classified under CWE-348 (Use of Less Trusted Source). The plugin attempts to enforce IP-based access restrictions, commonly used to block or allow traffic based on geographic location or IP ranges. However, it relies on HTTP headers such as X-Forwarded-For to determine the client's IP address without validating whether these headers originate from trusted proxies. Since HTTP headers like X-Forwarded-For can be manipulated by an attacker, this trust allows an unauthenticated attacker to spoof their IP address by injecting a false IP in the header. This spoofing bypasses the intended IP-based restrictions, potentially granting unauthorized access to restricted content or administrative interfaces. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without any authentication or user interaction, making it a significant risk for sites relying on this plugin for security controls. The CVSS 3.1 score of 5.3 reflects the medium severity, with no direct impact on confidentiality or availability but a clear impact on integrity by allowing unauthorized access. No patches or fixes have been published yet, and no known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The vulnerability highlights a common security pitfall in web applications that trust client-supplied headers without proper validation or proxy awareness.

For European organizations, this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to WordPress sites that use the AA Block Country plugin for IP-based access control. This could result in bypassing geo-blocking or IP restrictions designed to protect sensitive content, administrative areas, or comply with regional access policies such as GDPR-related restrictions. Attackers could exploit this to conduct further attacks, data scraping, or unauthorized administrative actions. Organizations relying on this plugin for compliance or security segmentation may face increased risk of data exposure or regulatory non-compliance. Since WordPress is widely used across Europe, especially in small and medium enterprises and public sector websites, the impact could be broad. The lack of authentication and user interaction requirements lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing risk. However, the absence of known exploits and the medium severity score suggest that immediate catastrophic damage is unlikely, but the vulnerability should be addressed promptly to prevent potential abuse.

1. Immediately review and restrict the use of the AA Block Country plugin on WordPress sites, especially versions up to 1.0.1. 2. Disable reliance on HTTP headers like X-Forwarded-For for IP determination unless the server is behind a trusted proxy and the proxy configuration is strictly validated. 3. Implement server-side validation to ensure that IP addresses used for access control originate from trusted sources only. 4. Configure web server or reverse proxy settings to overwrite or sanitize client IP headers before they reach the application layer. 5. Monitor access logs for suspicious patterns indicating IP spoofing attempts, such as inconsistent IP addresses in X-Forwarded-For headers. 6. Consider alternative plugins or solutions that correctly handle proxy headers and IP validation. 7. Keep WordPress core and all plugins updated and subscribe to security advisories for timely patching once a fix is released. 8. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) that can detect and block spoofed IP header attempts. 9. Educate administrators about the risks of trusting client-supplied headers and the importance of proxy-aware configurations. 10. If possible, restrict administrative access by additional means such as VPNs or multi-factor authentication to reduce risk exposure.