# CVE-2025-3861: Prevent Direct Access 2.8.6 - 2.8.8.2 - Incorrect Authorization to Authenticated (Contributor+) Multiple Media Actions

> Authenticated contributors can bypass authorization checks to modify media protection status in the Prevent Direct Access WordPress plugin.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Apr 2025
- **Updated:** 25 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2cf2-4mqr-v9rj

## What is CVE-2025-3861?

CVE-2025-3861 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in buildwps Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files, published on 25 Apr 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access and modification of data| due to a misconfigured capability check on the 'pda_lite_custom_permission_check' function in versions 2.8.6 to 2.8.8.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to access and change the protection status of media.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-3861?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-3861?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-3861 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-3861 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-3861 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-3861 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-3861 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in buildwps Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files, published on 25 Apr 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-3861 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: buildwps Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-3861/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-3861/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-3861
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-3861
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-3861

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-3861/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.