CVE-2025-12085 is a vulnerability identified in the ELEX WordPress HelpDesk & Customer Ticketing System plugin, affecting all versions up to and including 3.3.1. The root cause is a missing authorization check (CWE-862) in the 'eh_crm_settings_empty_trash' function, which is responsible for emptying the ticket trash. This omission allows any authenticated user with at least Subscriber-level privileges to invoke this function and delete tickets from the trash without proper permission validation. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without requiring user interaction, and no elevated privileges beyond Subscriber are needed. The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting low complexity and limited impact on confidentiality and availability but a direct impact on data integrity. Although no exploits have been reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a risk to organizations relying on this plugin for customer support ticket management, as unauthorized users can delete ticket data, potentially disrupting support operations and causing data loss. The vulnerability was published on November 21, 2025, and no official patches were listed at the time of reporting, emphasizing the need for immediate mitigation measures.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is the unauthorized deletion of customer support tickets, which can lead to loss of critical customer interaction data and disruption of support workflows. This can degrade service quality, damage customer trust, and potentially violate data retention policies or regulatory requirements such as GDPR if ticket data is lost without proper backups. Although the vulnerability does not directly expose sensitive data or cause system downtime, the integrity loss in ticket records can have operational and reputational consequences. Organizations with high reliance on the ELEX plugin for managing customer issues are particularly vulnerable. Additionally, attackers with minimal privileges can exploit this flaw, increasing the risk of insider threats or compromised low-privilege accounts being leveraged to cause damage. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as automated scanning tools may soon detect vulnerable installations.

1. Monitor the vendor’s official channels for patches addressing CVE-2025-12085 and apply updates promptly once available. 2. Until a patch is released, restrict Subscriber-level user capabilities by customizing WordPress roles to prevent access to the vulnerable function or plugin features related to ticket trash management. 3. Implement strict access controls and audit logging for all user actions within the HelpDesk plugin to detect unauthorized attempts to empty ticket trash. 4. Regularly back up ticket data and WordPress site data to enable recovery in case of unauthorized deletions. 5. Conduct periodic security reviews of WordPress user roles and permissions to ensure least privilege principles are enforced. 6. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the vulnerable function. 7. Educate administrators and support staff about the vulnerability and encourage vigilance for unusual ticket deletions or user behavior. 8. If feasible, temporarily disable or replace the ELEX HelpDesk plugin with alternative solutions until the vulnerability is resolved.