CVE-2025-14352 identifies an authorization bypass vulnerability in the Awesome Hotel Booking plugin for WordPress, specifically in the room-single.php shortcode handler. The plugin attempts to protect booking record modifications using nonce verification, a mechanism designed to prevent CSRF attacks by validating a token generated for a specific user session. However, the plugin fails to perform capability checks to verify whether the user has the appropriate permissions to modify booking data. Since the nonce can be obtained from the publicly accessible booking form, an unauthenticated attacker can retrieve a valid nonce and submit requests that modify arbitrary booking records. This results in unauthorized data modification, impacting the integrity of booking information. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.0 of the plugin. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.3 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based, requires no privileges or user interaction, and impacts integrity but not confidentiality or availability. No patches or known exploits are currently reported, but the vulnerability poses a risk to the integrity of booking data on affected WordPress sites. The root cause is CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), highlighting the failure to enforce proper access controls beyond nonce validation.

For European organizations, particularly those in the hospitality and tourism sectors using WordPress with the Awesome Hotel Booking plugin, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized modification of booking records. This may result in fraudulent bookings, data corruption, loss of customer trust, and operational disruptions. While it does not directly expose sensitive personal data or cause service outages, the integrity compromise could affect business processes and revenue. Attackers could manipulate booking details such as dates, room types, or customer information, potentially enabling double bookings or cancellations. Given the reliance on online booking systems in Europe’s large tourism markets, the impact could be significant for hotels, travel agencies, and booking platforms. Additionally, reputational damage and regulatory scrutiny under GDPR could arise if customer data integrity is compromised.

Since no official patch links are currently available, organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include adding server-side capability checks to ensure only authorized users can modify booking records, beyond nonce validation. Restrict access to booking modification endpoints to authenticated users with appropriate roles. Monitor and log all booking modification requests for suspicious activity. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to detect and block anomalous requests attempting unauthorized changes. Regularly update WordPress core and plugins to the latest versions once patches are released. Conduct security audits of custom plugins and shortcodes to verify proper authorization controls. Educate site administrators on the risks of relying solely on nonce verification. Finally, consider temporarily disabling the affected shortcode or plugin if feasible until a secure update is available.