CVE-2025-12372 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) found in the WordPress plugin 'The Permalinks Cascade' developed by _luigi. The issue exists in all versions up to and including 2.2 due to the plugin's failure to properly verify user authorization within the handleTPCAdminAjaxRequest function. This function handles AJAX requests related to administrative actions such as toggling automatic pinging and modifying page exclusion settings. Because the plugin does not enforce adequate authorization, any authenticated user with subscriber-level privileges or higher can exploit this flaw to perform unauthorized administrative operations. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication and can be triggered remotely over the network. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting the low complexity of exploitation (low attack complexity), network attack vector, and limited impact confined to integrity (unauthorized changes) without affecting confidentiality or availability. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the risk remains significant for websites relying on this plugin for permalink management. The vulnerability could lead to unauthorized configuration changes that may affect site behavior, SEO, or content management workflows.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the integrity of WordPress sites using the affected plugin. Unauthorized administrative changes could disrupt site functionality, SEO settings, or content exclusion rules, potentially impacting business operations and user experience. While confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, unauthorized modifications could be leveraged as a foothold for further attacks or to degrade trust in the affected websites. Organizations in sectors with high reliance on web presence, such as e-commerce, media, and public services, may face reputational damage or operational disruptions. The medium severity score indicates moderate risk, but the ease of exploitation by low-privilege authenticated users increases the threat level, especially in environments with weak user access controls or shared credentials. European GDPR regulations emphasize the protection of data integrity, so unauthorized changes could also have compliance implications if they lead to data mishandling or misrepresentation.

1. Immediately update the 'The Permalinks Cascade' plugin to a patched version once available from the vendor or plugin repository. 2. Until a patch is released, restrict subscriber-level user permissions to the minimum necessary and audit user roles to ensure no unnecessary privileges are granted. 3. Implement additional authorization checks via custom code or security plugins that enforce strict role-based access control on AJAX admin requests related to this plugin. 4. Monitor WordPress site logs for unusual administrative actions originating from subscriber or low-privilege accounts. 5. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block unauthorized AJAX requests targeting the vulnerable functions. 6. Educate site administrators and users about the risks of privilege escalation and enforce strong authentication practices, including multi-factor authentication (MFA). 7. Regularly review and harden WordPress security configurations and plugin usage to minimize attack surface.