CVE-2025-12637 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code) found in the koopersmith Elastic Theme Editor plugin for WordPress. The flaw exists in the process_theme function, which implements a dynamic code generation feature. This feature improperly validates or sanitizes input, allowing authenticated users with Subscriber-level privileges or higher to upload arbitrary files to the server. Since WordPress Subscriber roles typically have limited permissions, this vulnerability significantly lowers the attacker's bar to achieve remote code execution (RCE). The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 0.0.3 of the plugin. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.8, indicating a high severity with network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), privileges required (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Exploitation can lead to full compromise of the affected WordPress site, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code, deface websites, steal data, or pivot within the network. No patches or updates are currently available, and no exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages a common plugin used in WordPress environments, which are prevalent worldwide, including Europe.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially for those relying on WordPress for their web presence, including e-commerce, media, and corporate websites. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, website defacement, and potential lateral movement within internal networks. The ability for low-privilege users to upload arbitrary files and potentially execute code increases the attack surface dramatically. This can result in loss of customer trust, regulatory penalties under GDPR due to data breaches, and operational disruption. Organizations with public-facing WordPress sites are particularly vulnerable, as attackers can exploit this remotely over the internet. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the high severity score indicates urgent attention is needed to prevent future attacks.

1. Immediately audit WordPress installations for the presence of the koopersmith Elastic Theme Editor plugin and identify versions up to 0.0.3. 2. Disable or uninstall the plugin until a secure patched version is released. 3. Restrict user roles and permissions rigorously, ensuring that only trusted users have Subscriber-level or higher access. 4. Implement Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block suspicious file upload attempts targeting the plugin's endpoints. 5. Monitor server logs and WordPress activity logs for unusual file uploads or code execution attempts. 6. Employ file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes in web directories. 7. Educate site administrators about the risks of installing untrusted plugins and the importance of timely updates. 8. Consider isolating WordPress environments in segmented network zones to limit lateral movement if compromised. 9. Prepare incident response plans specific to WordPress compromises involving code injection and remote code execution. 10. Stay updated with vendor announcements for patches or mitigations and apply them promptly once available.