dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-13859

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the save_customization_settings AJAX action in versions 1.0.0 to 1.3.9.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to store arbitrary JavaScript that executes whenever an AffiliateX block renders on the site.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The AffiliateX WordPress plugin has a broken access control vulnerability in versions 1.0.0-1.3.9.3. The save_customization_settings AJAX action lacks a capability check, allowing any authenticated user (Subscriber-level and above) to modify plugin settings. Combined with insufficient output sanitization, this enables stored XSS where malicious JavaScript executes when AffiliateX blocks render.

MitigationUpdate to version 1.3.9.4 or later, which adds proper capability checks and input sanitization to the AJAX action. Until then, restrict user registration and monitor for suspicious AJAX calls to save_customization_settings.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm AffiliateX plugin installation and version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate AffiliateX, then check the version number listed. Alternatively, check the plugin main file (wp-content/plugins/affiliate-x/includes/Version.php or similar) for the version constant.
    Affected if The installed version is between 1.0.0 and 1.3.9.3 inclusive
  2. Verify user registration is enabled
    Go to WordPress Settings > General and check if Membership is set to 'Anyone can register'. If enabled, any new user could gain Subscriber-level access.
    Affected if User registration is enabled, allowing creation of low-privilege accounts
  3. Test AJAX action accessibility
    Send a POST request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=save_customization_settings and minimal data (such as {"affiliatex_settings":{"test":"value"}}) using an authenticated session with Subscriber role. Check if the server accepts and processes the request without returning a capability error.
    Affected if The AJAX action accepts and processes requests from Subscriber-level users without permission errors
  4. Inspect plugin settings for malicious content
    Navigate to the AffiliateX plugin settings page in WordPress admin (usually under AffiliateX menu). Review all settings fields for unexpected JavaScript code, script tags, or HTML attributes like onerror/onload. Alternatively, query the wp_options table for option_name containing 'affiliatex' and examine the option_value for suspicious scripts.
    Affected if Plugin settings contain script tags, event handlers, or other JavaScript code that was not intentionally added by an administrator

A user is affected if the AffiliateX plugin version is 1.0.0-1.3.9.3 and the save_customization_settings AJAX action is accessible to authenticated users with Subscriber role or lower, or if plugin settings contain unexpected JavaScript.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to version 1.3.9.4 or later, which adds proper capability checks and input sanitization to the AJAX action. Until then, restrict user registration and monitor for suspicious AJAX calls to save_customization_settings.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

1.3.9.4 or higher

  1. Check the WordPress admin dashboard under Plugins > AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin to confirm the current installed version
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin or check for an update notification
  3. If an update to version 1.3.9.4 or higher is available, click Update Now to apply the security patch
  4. After updating, verify the fix by confirming that the save_customization_settings AJAX action now properly checks for user capabilities (e.g., manage_options permission) before accepting changes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-13859 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data