CVE-2025-11168 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) found in the Mementor Core plugin for WordPress. The issue exists in all versions up to and including 2.2.5 and stems from the plugin's failure to correctly manage the user switch back functionality. This function is intended to allow administrators to switch to another user's account and then revert back to their own. However, due to improper access control checks, authenticated users with Subscriber-level privileges or higher can exploit this flaw to escalate their privileges to that of an administrator. The vulnerability requires no user interaction and can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, indicating a high severity with impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (all rated high). Exploiting this vulnerability could allow attackers to take full control of the WordPress site, modify content, install malicious plugins, or disrupt services. Although no public exploits are currently known, the vulnerability's nature and ease of exploitation make it a significant threat. The vulnerability was reserved on 2025-09-29 and published on 2025-11-11, with no patches currently linked, suggesting that organizations should monitor for updates from the vendor mvirik and consider interim mitigations.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-11168 can be severe. WordPress powers a significant portion of websites across Europe, including many small and medium enterprises, public institutions, and e-commerce platforms. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain administrator access, leading to data breaches involving personal data protected under GDPR, defacement of websites, insertion of malicious code (such as malware or ransomware), and disruption of business operations. The compromise of administrator accounts can also facilitate lateral movement within networks if WordPress is integrated with internal systems. Given the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, organizations could face reputational damage, regulatory fines, and operational downtime. The lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the vulnerability’s ease of exploitation means attackers may develop exploits rapidly.

1. Monitor the vendor mvirik’s official channels for patches addressing CVE-2025-11168 and apply them immediately upon release. 2. Until patches are available, restrict access to the WordPress admin dashboard and the Mementor Core plugin functionalities to trusted IP addresses using web application firewalls or network ACLs. 3. Limit user roles and permissions strictly, ensuring that only necessary users have Subscriber-level or higher access. 4. Implement monitoring and alerting for unusual privilege escalation attempts or suspicious user switch back activities in WordPress logs. 5. Consider temporarily disabling the user switch back functionality if configurable within the plugin or via custom code. 6. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability scans focused on WordPress plugins. 7. Educate administrators and users about the risks of privilege escalation and enforce strong authentication mechanisms such as MFA to reduce risk from compromised accounts. 8. Backup WordPress sites regularly and verify backup integrity to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise.