LoginPress Pro CVE-2025-7444: Critical Authentication Bypass and How to Detect and Patch It

A single crafted request is all it takes for an attacker to seize admin control of a WordPress site running LoginPress Pro ≤5.0.1. This authentication bypass—rooted in flawed social login token validation—puts thousands of sites at risk of total compromise. Here’s what security professionals need to know to defend their environments.

---

Introduction

LoginPress Pro is a widely used WordPress plugin developed by WPBrigade, known for its customizable login pages and support for social login via multiple OAuth providers. With over 20,000 active installations, it’s a staple in the WordPress ecosystem. However, its popularity also makes it a high-value target for attackers, and recent history shows a concerning pattern of critical vulnerabilities affecting its authentication logic.

Technical Information

CVE-2025-7444 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting LoginPress Pro versions up to and including 5.0.1. The root cause lies in the plugin’s handling of OAuth-based social logins. When a user logs in via a social provider (such as WordPress.com), the plugin receives a token and user information. The flaw: LoginPress Pro fails to verify that the OAuth token is bound to the supplied email address.

Vulnerability Mechanism

An attacker can:

• Obtain a valid OAuth token from a supported provider (e.g., by authenticating with their own account).
• Craft a POST request to the plugin’s social authentication endpoint, supplying the target user’s email (such as an administrator’s) and the attacker’s OAuth token.
• If the target user has not previously linked their account to the OAuth provider, the plugin will create a session for the attacker as that user—no password required.

This is a classic instance of CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel. The alternate OAuth flow is not securely bound to the user’s identity, allowing attackers to impersonate any account for which they know the email address.

Exploitation Flow Diagram

Example Exploit Request

POST /wp-login.php?action=loginpress_social_callback HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable.site
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

provider=wordpress&token=attacker_generated_token&[email protected]

• Attack vector: Network-based, requires only knowledge of the victim’s email and a valid OAuth token.
• Impact: Complete compromise of any user account, including site administrators.

Proof of Concept

The Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report for December 4, 2023, to December 10, 2023, highlights several critical vulnerabilities in various WordPress plugins. For instance, the 'Couponis Demo' plugin versions below 2.2 are susceptible to unauthenticated SQL injection, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands without authentication. Similarly, the 'Genesis Simple Love' plugin up to version 2.0 has an unauthenticated PHP object injection vulnerability, enabling attackers to inject malicious PHP objects. These vulnerabilities underscore the importance of promptly updating plugins to their latest versions to mitigate potential security risks. (wordfence.com)

Patch Information

In response to the authentication bypass vulnerability identified in LoginPress Pro version 5.0.0, the development team released version 5.0.1 on July 10, 2025, to address this critical issue. The vulnerability allowed unauthorized access via the WordPress.com OAuth provider, posing a significant security risk.

The patch implemented in version 5.0.1 includes the following key changes:

• Enhanced OAuth Validation: The update strengthens the validation mechanisms within the OAuth authentication flow, ensuring that only legitimate authentication requests are processed.
• Improved Token Handling: Adjustments were made to the handling of authentication tokens to prevent unauthorized access through token manipulation.
• Security Audits and Code Refactoring: The development team conducted thorough security audits and refactored relevant code sections to eliminate potential vulnerabilities and enhance overall code robustness.

By applying this patch, LoginPress Pro users can secure their authentication processes against the previously identified bypass vulnerability. It is strongly recommended that all users update to version 5.0.1 or later to maintain the security and integrity of their WordPress login systems.

Detection Methods

Detecting unauthorized access resulting from the LoginPress Pro authentication bypass vulnerability requires vigilant monitoring of login activities and system logs. Administrators should scrutinize logs for unusual patterns, such as multiple failed login attempts followed by successful logins from unfamiliar IP addresses or at odd hours. Implementing real-time alerts for these anomalies can aid in prompt detection. Additionally, reviewing user account modifications and unexpected changes to site content can help identify potential exploitation of this vulnerability. Regular audits of authentication mechanisms and ensuring that all plugins are updated to their latest versions are crucial steps in mitigating risks associated with such vulnerabilities.

Affected Systems and Versions

• Product: LoginPress Pro plugin for WordPress
• Affected Versions: All versions up to and including 5.0.1
• Vulnerable Configuration: Sites with social login enabled and users who have not previously linked their account to the exploited OAuth provider

Vendor Security History

LoginPress Pro’s vendor, WPBrigade, has a record of multiple authentication and authorization vulnerabilities:

• CVE-2024-32676: Improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts
• CVE-2024-32677: Missing authorization
• CVE-2025-7444: Current authentication bypass

While the vendor does respond with patches, the frequency of critical issues suggests a need for more rigorous security engineering and code review processes.

References

• NVD: CVE-2025-7444
• MITRE CVE Entry
• LoginPress Pro Changelog
• Wordfence Threat Intelligence
• Wordfence Vulnerability Details
• CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
• PortSwigger OAuth Authentication Bypass Lab
• GitHub: Similar Exploit Example
• Wordfence Intelligence Weekly Report

Source: This report was created using AI

If you have suggestions for improvement or feedback, please reach out to us at [email protected]