CVE-2025-11174 is an improper authorization vulnerability identified in the Document Library Lite WordPress plugin by barn2media, affecting all versions up to and including 1.1.6. The root cause is the exposure of an unauthenticated AJAX action named 'dll_load_posts' that returns a JSON-formatted table of document data. This endpoint does not enforce nonce verification or capability checks, allowing any unauthenticated user to invoke it. The handler accepts an attacker-controlled 'args' array, where the 'status' parameter can be set to values such as 'draft', 'pending', 'future', or 'any'. This enables attackers to retrieve unpublished document titles and content that should normally be restricted to authorized users. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-285 (Improper Authorization), indicating a failure to properly restrict access to sensitive resources. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N, meaning the attack can be performed remotely without authentication or user interaction, has low complexity, and impacts confidentiality only. No integrity or availability impact is noted. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date (November 1, 2025). The vulnerability primarily risks unauthorized disclosure of unpublished documents, which could include sensitive or proprietary information. The plugin is widely used in WordPress environments to manage document libraries, making affected sites vulnerable until patched or mitigated.

For European organizations, the primary impact is unauthorized disclosure of unpublished or draft documents managed via the Document Library Lite plugin. This could lead to leakage of sensitive internal information, intellectual property, or confidential communications before intended publication. While the vulnerability does not allow modification or deletion of data, the exposure of unpublished content can harm organizational confidentiality and competitive advantage. Organizations in sectors such as media, legal, finance, and government that rely on WordPress for document management are particularly at risk. The ease of exploitation (no authentication or user interaction required) increases the likelihood of opportunistic data scraping or targeted reconnaissance by threat actors. Although no active exploitation is reported, the vulnerability could be leveraged in broader attack campaigns or combined with other vulnerabilities for escalation. The impact on availability and integrity is negligible, but the confidentiality breach alone warrants prompt attention. Compliance with European data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) may also be affected if personal or sensitive data is exposed.

1. Monitor barn2media’s official channels for a security patch addressing CVE-2025-11174 and apply it immediately upon release. 2. Until a patch is available, restrict access to the AJAX endpoint 'dll_load_posts' by implementing web application firewall (WAF) rules that block unauthenticated requests or limit access to trusted IP ranges. 3. Implement custom authorization checks in the WordPress environment to validate user capabilities before allowing access to document data via AJAX. 4. Disable or remove the Document Library Lite plugin if it is not essential to reduce the attack surface. 5. Regularly audit WordPress plugins for security updates and vulnerabilities to maintain a secure environment. 6. Employ security plugins that can detect and block suspicious AJAX requests or anomalous behavior. 7. Educate site administrators about the risks of exposing unpublished content and encourage secure content management practices. 8. Conduct periodic security assessments and penetration tests focusing on WordPress plugins and AJAX endpoints to identify similar weaknesses.