CVE-2025-0958 is a vulnerability identified in the Ultimate WordPress Auction Plugin developed by nitesh_singh, affecting all versions up to and including 4.2.9. The root cause is improper input validation (CWE-20), which allows authenticated users with Contributor-level permissions or higher to bypass intended access controls. This flaw enables such users to delete arbitrary auctions, posts, and pages, as well as execute other auction-related actions without proper authorization. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without requiring user interaction, making it a significant risk in multi-user WordPress environments. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4, indicating a medium severity with low attack complexity and requiring low privileges but no user interaction. While no public exploits have been reported, the vulnerability could be leveraged by malicious insiders or compromised accounts to disrupt website content and auction operations, potentially leading to data loss and integrity issues. The lack of available patches at the time of reporting necessitates immediate attention from site administrators to implement compensating controls or restrict Contributor-level permissions until a fix is released.

The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized deletion of critical content such as auctions, posts, and pages, undermining data integrity and potentially causing significant disruption to websites relying on the Ultimate WordPress Auction Plugin. This may result in loss of revenue, damage to reputation, and operational downtime for affected organizations. Since the exploit requires only Contributor-level access, attackers with relatively low privileges can escalate their impact, increasing the risk of insider threats or compromised user accounts being abused. The confidentiality impact is limited but present, as unauthorized actions could reveal some information about auctions or posts. Availability is not directly affected, but indirect effects such as site instability or loss of user trust could occur. The medium severity rating reflects these factors, emphasizing the need for timely mitigation to prevent exploitation.

1. Immediately review and restrict Contributor-level and higher permissions to trusted users only, minimizing the number of accounts that can exploit this vulnerability. 2. Implement strict user access controls and monitor user activities for suspicious deletion or modification actions related to auctions and posts. 3. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block unauthorized requests targeting auction management endpoints. 4. Regularly back up WordPress site data, including auctions and posts, to enable quick restoration in case of unauthorized deletions. 5. Monitor official plugin channels and security advisories for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 6. Consider temporarily disabling or replacing the Ultimate WordPress Auction Plugin if the risk is unacceptable and no patch is available. 7. Conduct security awareness training for site administrators and contributors to recognize and report suspicious activities. 8. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts with elevated permissions to reduce the risk of account compromise.