CVE-2025-12136 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability identified in the Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 5.2.4. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of the 'url' parameter in the REST API endpoint '/scanner/scan-without-login'. This endpoint allows authenticated users with administrator-level privileges or higher to submit URLs that the server then requests internally. Due to insufficient sanitization and validation, attackers can craft malicious URLs to induce the server to send requests to arbitrary internal or external locations. This can lead to unauthorized access to internal services, potentially exposing sensitive information or enabling further attacks within the internal network. The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.8 reflects a medium severity with a network attack vector, low attack complexity, and requiring high privileges but no user interaction. The impact is primarily on confidentiality, as attackers can retrieve data from internal resources, but there is no direct impact on integrity or availability. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk to WordPress sites using this plugin, especially those with sensitive internal infrastructure accessible from the web server. The vulnerability was published on October 24, 2025, and no patches or fixes have been linked yet, emphasizing the need for immediate mitigation steps. Given the plugin's role in managing cookie consent under GDPR and ePrivacy regulations, it is widely used across European websites, increasing the potential attack surface. Organizations should monitor for updates from the vendor and implement access controls to limit exposure.

For European organizations, this SSRF vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of internal systems and data. Since the plugin is designed to manage GDPR and ePrivacy cookie consent, it is likely deployed on many websites across Europe, including those handling personal data subject to strict regulatory requirements. Exploitation could allow attackers with administrator access to pivot into internal networks, access sensitive internal services, or exfiltrate confidential information, potentially leading to GDPR compliance violations and reputational damage. The medium severity rating indicates that while exploitation requires high privileges, the impact on confidentiality is high, which is critical for organizations processing personal data. Additionally, the ability to query internal services could facilitate further attacks such as lateral movement or reconnaissance within corporate networks. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits once the vulnerability is public. Organizations relying on this plugin should consider the risk to their internal infrastructure and personal data protection obligations under European law.

1. Immediately restrict access to the '/scanner/scan-without-login' REST API endpoint to only trusted administrators and monitor its usage for suspicious activity. 2. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on the 'url' parameter to ensure only safe, expected URLs are processed, ideally limiting requests to known safe domains or internal endpoints. 3. Disable or remove the vulnerable plugin if it is not essential, or replace it with alternative cookie consent solutions that do not expose similar SSRF risks. 4. Monitor WordPress plugin updates from devowl and apply patches promptly once released. 5. Employ network segmentation and firewall rules to limit the web server's ability to initiate requests to sensitive internal services, reducing the impact of SSRF exploitation. 6. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on REST API endpoints and SSRF vulnerabilities. 7. Educate administrators about the risks of SSRF and the importance of limiting administrator privileges to reduce the attack surface. 8. Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with SSRF detection capabilities to block malicious requests targeting this vulnerability.