dbcve.org
Bertha AiWordPress extension · Bertha

CVE-2025-48138

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.12.11 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Bertha AI – Andrew Palmer BERTHA AI bertha-ai-free allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects BERTHA AI: from n/a through <= 1.13.

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

The Bertha AI WordPress plugin (versions up to 1.13) contains a missing authorization vulnerability where incorrectly configured access control security levels allow unauthenticated or unauthorized users to access sensitive functionality that should be restricted to privileged users.

MitigationImplement proper capability checks and authorization verification on all AJAX endpoints and admin functions, and update to the patched version once released by the vendor.

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

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Bertha AiWordPress extension
Affected:<= 1.12.11

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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. Check if Bertha AI plugin is installed and identify its version
    Go to WordPress Admin > Plugins and look for 'Bertha AI' or 'Bertha Bertha Ai' in the plugin list. Note the version number displayed next to the plugin name. Alternatively, check the plugin header in file: /wp-content/plugins/bertha-ai/includes/ or look for a main plugin PHP file containing the version.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.12.11 or lower, or if no version is displayed (plugin file header may contain 'Version: 1.12.11' or lower)
  2. Identify the plugin's main PHP file and AJAX handlers
    Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/bertha-ai/ in your WordPress installation. Look for PHP files that register AJAX actions using add_action('wp_ajax_...') or add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_...'). Common file names include class-bertha-ai.php, bertha-ajax.php, or files in an /includes/ or /admin/ folder.
    Affected if AJAX handlers registered with wp_ajax_nopriv_ are found, indicating they are accessible to unauthenticated users
  3. Verify if AJAX endpoints have capability checks
    Open the PHP files containing AJAX handlers. Search for current_user_can() or similar WordPress capability checks before executing sensitive operations. Look for the pattern: if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) or if (!current_user_can('edit_posts')) near the beginning of AJAX callback functions.
    Affected if AJAX endpoints are found that lack current_user_can() checks or other authorization validation before processing requests
  4. Check admin action handlers for missing nonce verification
    Search the plugin files for admin-post handling or add_action calls for admin actions (like admin_init). Look for nonce verification using wp_verify_nonce() or check_admin_referer() that should validate the request origin.
    Affected if Admin action handlers are found without nonce verification or capability checks

You are affected if the Bertha AI plugin version is 1.12.11 or lower AND AJAX endpoints are accessible without proper capability checks or nonce verification.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.12.11
Interim mitigation

Implement proper capability checks and authorization verification on all AJAX endpoints and admin functions, and update to the patched version once released by the vendor.

Fix this in Bertha Ai Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
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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-2025-48138 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data