The Mementor Core plugin for WordPress suffers from a critical privilege escalation vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-11168, classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management). This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 2.2.5 due to improper handling of the user switch back functionality. Specifically, authenticated users with Subscriber-level privileges or higher can exploit this flaw to elevate their privileges to that of an administrator by manipulating the switch back process. The vulnerability does not require user interaction and can be exploited remotely over the network, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N). The impact is severe, affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress sites, as attackers gaining admin access can modify content, install malicious code, or disrupt services. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the vulnerability's nature and ease of exploitation make it a high-risk issue. The lack of an official patch at the time of reporting necessitates immediate risk mitigation steps by site administrators. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure privilege management and thorough validation of user role transitions within WordPress plugins.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the security of WordPress-based websites, which are widely used for corporate, governmental, and e-commerce purposes. An attacker exploiting this flaw can gain unauthorized administrative access, leading to potential data breaches, defacement, malware distribution, and disruption of online services. The compromise of administrative accounts can also facilitate lateral movement within organizational networks if WordPress credentials are reused or integrated with other systems. This can result in loss of sensitive customer data, intellectual property, and damage to organizational reputation. Given the high CVSS score and the critical nature of administrative privileges, the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is substantial. Additionally, regulatory compliance risks arise under GDPR if personal data is exposed or mishandled due to exploitation. The threat is particularly acute for organizations that rely heavily on WordPress for public-facing or internal portals without stringent access controls or monitoring.

1. Immediate action should be taken to monitor for any unusual privilege escalation attempts within WordPress user management logs. 2. Restrict plugin usage to trusted users only and limit Subscriber-level access where possible. 3. Implement strict role-based access controls and review user permissions regularly to minimize the attack surface. 4. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the user switch back functionality. 5. Conduct thorough vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on WordPress plugins, especially Mementor Core. 6. Once an official patch is released by the vendor, apply it promptly across all affected systems. 7. Consider disabling or replacing the Mementor Core plugin if immediate patching is not feasible. 8. Enhance monitoring and alerting for administrative account activities to detect potential compromises early. 9. Educate site administrators and developers about secure privilege management practices to prevent similar issues. 10. Maintain regular backups of WordPress sites to enable quick recovery in case of compromise.