ACF to REST API <= 3.3.4 - Insecure Direct Object Reference to Authenticated (Contributor+) ACF Field/Option Modification
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Plugin
- ACF to REST API
- Affected Version
<= 3.3.4- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
- CVE
CVE-2025-12030
At a glance
CVE-2025-12030 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the ACF to REST API WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.3.4. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed January 2026, reported by Kai Aizen.
Vulnerability Overview
The ACF to REST API plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 3.3.4. This is due to insufficient capability checks in the update_item_permissions_check() method, which only verifies that the current user has the edit_posts capability without checking object-specific permissions (e.g., edit_post($id), edit_user($id), manage_options). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to modify ACF fields on posts they do not own, any user account, comments, taxonomy terms, and even the global options page via the /wp-json/acf/v3/{type}/{id} endpoints, granted they can authenticate to the site.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user.
CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
ACF to REST API <= 3.3.4 carries this weakness at update_item_permissions_check(), and reaching it takes an account at Contributor level or above. Authorization bypass through a user-controlled key, often called insecure direct object reference, means the application looks up a record by an identifier from the request without checking that the caller owns it.
Changing a number in the request is enough to read or modify other users' records, which on commerce and membership sites means customer data. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for ACF to REST API yet, so installs running <= 3.3.4 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
How does WordSec protect against this?
Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in ACF to REST API
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