Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-31071

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in themeton HotStar – Multi-Purpose Business Theme allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. This issue affects HotStar – Multi-Purpose Business Theme: from n/a through 1.4.

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 · moderate confidence

A Missing Authorization vulnerability in the HotStar WordPress theme allows attackers to access functionality or data that should require proper authentication. The theme fails to enforce correct access control checks on certain endpoints or functions, enabling unauthorized users to exploit incorrectly configured security levels.

MitigationImplement proper authorization checks ( capability checks, nonce verification, user authentication validation) on all sensitive theme functions and endpoints. Update to a patched version if available from themeton.

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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. Identify HotStar theme installation
    Navigate to wp-content/themes/ directory or check WordPress admin under Appearance > Themes to locate the HotStar theme and note its version number if displayed
    Affected if HotStar theme is installed and no patched version is available from themeton
  2. Check for unprotected admin AJAX endpoints
    Review theme's functions.php and any PHP files in the theme directory for wp_ajax_ hooks that lack current_user_can() or capability checks before executing sensitive operations
    Affected if AJAX endpoints exist that perform privileged actions without verifying user authorization
  3. Inspect theme options/settings endpoints
    Search theme files for form handlers, settings save functions, or data export features that process requests without verifying user authentication or admin privileges
    Affected if Theme contains functionality that processes requests from unauthenticated or non-admin users
  4. Review nonce verification implementation
    Search theme PHP files for wp_nonce_field, wp_verify_nonce, or check_admin_referer calls; identify any sensitive functions missing these verification checks
    Affected if Sensitive theme functions lack nonce verification, allowing potential CSRF exploitation
  5. Check for missing capability checks
    Greep theme files for add_action or add_filter hooks handling user data, settings changes, or content modifications; verify each calls current_user_can() or similar authorization function
    Affected if Theme functions that modify settings, content, or user data do not verify user capabilities before execution

If HotStar theme is installed and its code lacks proper authorization checks (capability verification, nonce validation, user authentication) on sensitive endpoints or functions, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement proper authorization checks ( capability checks, nonce verification, user authentication validation) on all sensitive theme functions and endpoints. Update to a patched version if available from themeton.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-31071 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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