CVE-2025-49901

Simple Link Directory < 14.8.1 - Authentication Bypass

2025-07-11 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 14.8.1
Affected Plugin: Simple Link Directory Pro
Affected Version: < 14.8.1
CVSS: 9.8Critical
Weakness type: CWE-288 · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
CVE: CVE-2025-49901

View all Simple Link Directory Pro vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2025-49901 is a critical-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability in the Simple Link Directory Pro WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 14.8.1. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 14.8.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2025, reported by João Pedro Soares de Alcântara.

Vulnerability Overview

The Simple Link Directory Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in all versions up to 14.8.1 (exclusive). This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication and access other user's accounts, including administrators.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Reaching this weakness in Simple Link Directory Pro < 14.8.1 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Authentication bypass through an alternate path means the application has a second route to a protected action that skips the checks the primary route performs.

The protection on the main path becomes irrelevant, because the attacker simply uses the route that never asks. For Simple Link Directory Pro the fix is 14.8.1: builds < 14.8.1 are affected, anything from 14.8.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 14.8.1, or a newer patched version

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. None of that substitutes for the fix: Simple Link Directory Pro 14.8.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-49901 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/57e37b16-230c-4cb5-96f7-4d5c20535e06 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-49901

Related records

CVSS Vector

9.8

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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