CVE-2025-1562 is a critical security vulnerability affecting the FunnelKit Automations plugin (formerly known as Recover WooCommerce Cart Abandonment, Newsletter, Email Marketing, Marketing Automation) for WordPress and WooCommerce, developed by amans2k. This plugin is widely used for email marketing automation and CRM functionalities integrated into WordPress e-commerce sites. The vulnerability stems from a missing authorization check (CWE-862) in the function install_or_activate_addon_plugins(), which is responsible for installing or activating additional plugin components. Additionally, the nonce hash used to protect this function is weak, allowing attackers to bypass protections that normally prevent unauthorized actions. As a result, unauthenticated attackers can remotely install arbitrary plugins on vulnerable WordPress sites without any user interaction or authentication. This arbitrary plugin installation capability can be leveraged to deploy malicious code, backdoors, ransomware, or other malware, potentially leading to full site compromise. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 3.5.3 of the FunnelKit Automations plugin. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8 (critical), reflecting the ease of exploitation (network vector, no privileges required, no user interaction) and the severe impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the vulnerability’s characteristics make it highly exploitable and dangerous once weaponized. Given the plugin’s integration with WooCommerce, which powers many European e-commerce sites, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to online retailers relying on this marketing automation tool. Attackers could gain persistent control over sites, steal customer data, manipulate marketing campaigns, or disrupt business operations.

For European organizations, especially e-commerce businesses using WooCommerce and FunnelKit Automations, this vulnerability presents a critical threat. Successful exploitation can lead to full site takeover, exposing sensitive customer data including personal and payment information, violating GDPR requirements and potentially resulting in heavy fines. The integrity of marketing campaigns and customer communications can be compromised, damaging brand reputation and customer trust. Availability impacts may include site defacement, denial of service, or ransomware deployment, causing revenue loss and operational disruption. Small and medium enterprises, which form a large part of the European e-commerce ecosystem, may lack the resources to quickly detect and remediate such intrusions, increasing the risk of prolonged compromise. Additionally, attackers may use compromised sites as pivot points for lateral movement within corporate networks or to launch supply chain attacks targeting European partners and customers. The lack of authentication and user interaction requirements lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the likelihood of widespread exploitation if automated attack tools emerge.

1. Immediate update: Organizations should upgrade FunnelKit Automations to a patched version once available. Until then, consider disabling the plugin or restricting its use to trusted administrators only. 2. Access controls: Limit administrative access to WordPress dashboards using strong authentication methods (e.g., MFA) and IP whitelisting to reduce exposure. 3. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy WAF rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting plugin endpoints, especially those attempting to invoke install_or_activate_addon_plugins(). 4. Monitoring and logging: Enable detailed logging of plugin installation and activation events, and monitor for unusual plugin additions or modifications. 5. Plugin integrity checks: Use file integrity monitoring tools to detect unauthorized plugin files or changes. 6. Harden WordPress installations by disabling plugin and theme installations for non-admin users and restricting file system permissions to prevent unauthorized writes. 7. Incident response readiness: Prepare to isolate and remediate compromised sites quickly, including restoring from clean backups and rotating credentials. 8. Vendor engagement: Engage with the plugin vendor for timely patches and security advisories. 9. Network segmentation: Isolate WordPress servers from critical internal systems to limit lateral movement in case of compromise.