CVE-2025-15370

Shield Security <= 21.0.9 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Insecure Direct Object Reference to Disable Google Authenticator

2026-01-15 15:58
Dmitrii Ignatyev

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 21.0.10
Affected Plugin
Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning
Affected Version
<= 21.0.9
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE
CVE-2025-15370
View all Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2025-15370 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the Shield Security WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 21.0.9. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 21.0.10; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2026, reported by Dmitrii Ignatyev.

Vulnerability Overview

The Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users, and Prevents Security Breaches plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 21.0.9 via the MfaGoogleAuthToggle class due to missing validation on a user controlled key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to disable Google Authenticator for any user.

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

Reaching this weakness in Shield Security <= 21.0.9 takes an account at Subscriber 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. For Shield Security the fix is 21.0.10: builds <= 21.0.9 are affected, anything from 21.0.10 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 21.0.10, 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: Shield Security 21.0.10 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-15370https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/d777014a-5397-4062-af39-7ea86589a0d0https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-15370

Related records

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