The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-11377 affects the 'List category posts' WordPress plugin developed by fernandobt, specifically versions up to and including 0.92.0. The issue is categorized under CWE-200, indicating exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. The root cause lies in the 'catlist' shortcode functionality, which fails to enforce adequate access restrictions on the posts it includes in its output. Consequently, authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can exploit this flaw to extract content from posts that are password-protected, private, or still in draft status—posts that should normally be inaccessible to such users. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring additional user interaction, and it does not require elevated privileges beyond contributor access. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium severity), reflecting a low impact on confidentiality and no impact on integrity or availability. No patches or fixes are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date. This vulnerability highlights a failure in enforcing proper authorization checks within the plugin's shortcode processing logic, potentially leading to unauthorized data disclosure within WordPress sites using this plugin.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-11377 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive content within WordPress sites using the vulnerable 'List category posts' plugin. Attackers with contributor-level access can access confidential information contained in password-protected, private, or draft posts, which could include sensitive business data, unpublished content, or personal information. This breach of confidentiality could lead to reputational damage, loss of trust, or compliance violations for organizations relying on WordPress for content management. However, the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, limiting the scope of damage. Since exploitation requires authenticated access, the risk is somewhat mitigated by existing access controls, but insider threats or compromised contributor accounts could still leverage this flaw. Organizations with multiple contributors or less stringent user management policies are at higher risk. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate threat levels, but the vulnerability remains a concern for any site using this plugin version.

To mitigate CVE-2025-11377, organizations should first verify if they are using the 'List category posts' plugin version 0.92.0 or earlier. If so, they should monitor the plugin vendor's official channels for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. In the interim, administrators can restrict contributor-level user permissions or temporarily disable the plugin to prevent exploitation. Implementing stricter role-based access controls and auditing contributor activities can reduce the risk of insider exploitation. Additionally, site owners should review and limit the use of the 'catlist' shortcode in posts or pages accessible to contributors. Employing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious shortcode usage patterns may provide temporary protection. Regular security assessments and monitoring for unusual access patterns to private or draft content can help detect exploitation attempts early.