Introduction
An attacker with the lowest level of WordPress access can create malicious automations that, if left unchecked, run with administrator privileges. On a site running AutomatorWP, a single subscriber account could compromise the entire site through imported automations.
AutomatorWP is a popular WordPress plugin for no-code automations, and it integrates with over 200 plugins and services. Site owners use it widely to automate workflows without custom code, so it sits at the center of many WordPress deployments.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-9539 is caused by a missing capability check in the automatorwp_ajax_import_automation_from_url AJAX handler, the function that imports automation workflows from external URLs. In all versions up to and including 5.3.6, the function does not verify that the requesting user has administrative privileges before it processes the import. Any authenticated user can therefore trigger the import, including subscribers, the lowest built-in role in WordPress.
The handler makes no call to current_user_can('manage_options') or any similar capability check before it handles the import. Low-privilege users can import arbitrary automations, and those automations can be crafted to perform sensitive actions if an administrator later triggers them. AutomatorWP automations can interact with a wide range of plugins and core WordPress functionality, so if a malicious automation is activated, the impact can include privilege escalation, remote code execution, or persistent backdoors.
The vulnerable code is at AutomatorWP import-automation.php#L386. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-94 (Code Injection) because malicious automations could lead to arbitrary code execution.
Affected Systems and Versions
- AutomatorWP for WordPress
- All versions up to and including 5.3.6
- Any configuration where authenticated users (subscriber or higher) can access the site is vulnerable
Vendor Security History
AutomatorWP has had several earlier security issues:
- CVE-2025-5487: SQL injection vulnerability
- Security bypass in version 1.7.5
- Administrator SQL injection in version 5.2.5 (Wordfence advisory)
These issues indicate recurring weaknesses in access control and input validation. The vendor does release patches, but the frequency of these vulnerabilities suggests deeper architectural problems.
