CVE-2025-9539

AutomatorWP – Automator plugin for no-code automations, webhooks & custom integrations in WordPress <= 5.3.6 - Missing Authorization To Authenticated (Subscriber+) Remote Code Execution via Automation Creation

2025-09-08 17:53
stealthcopter

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.3.7
Affected Version
<= 5.3.6
CVSS
8.0High
Weakness type
CWE-94 · Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
CVE
CVE-2025-9539
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At a glance

CVE-2025-9539 is a high-severity Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') vulnerability in the AutomatorWP WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 5.3.6. It carries a CVSS score of 8.0 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 5.3.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2025, reported by stealthcopter.

Vulnerability Overview

The AutomatorWP – Automator plugin for no-code automations, webhooks & custom integrations in WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the automatorwp_ajax_import_automation_from_url function in all versions up to, and including, 5.3.6. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to create arbitrary automations, which can lead to Remote Code Execution or Privilege escalation once such automation is activated by the administrator

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')

Reaching this weakness in AutomatorWP <= 5.3.6 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Code injection means input from a request reaches a language construct that evaluates code, so the attacker's text is executed rather than treated as data.

The injected code runs with the web server's privileges, giving the attacker the same access to the database and filesystem as WordPress itself. For AutomatorWP the fix is 5.3.7: builds <= 5.3.6 are affected, anything from 5.3.7 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.3.7, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Subscriber access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: AutomatorWP 5.3.7 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Scanner
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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