CVE-2025-12665 is a vulnerability identified in the Ninja Countdown | Fastest Countdown Builder plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.5.0. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) and arises from the absence of a proper capability check on the 'ninja_countdown_admin_ajax' AJAX endpoint. This endpoint is intended to handle administrative AJAX requests related to countdown timers. Due to the missing authorization control, any authenticated user with Subscriber-level privileges or higher can invoke this endpoint to delete arbitrary countdowns without proper permission. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication and can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N). The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a medium severity primarily due to limited impact on confidentiality and availability but a direct impact on integrity. The flaw allows unauthorized modification of data (countdowns), which could disrupt marketing campaigns, event notifications, or other time-sensitive content managed via the plugin. No patches or fixes have been published at the time of disclosure, and no known exploits are reported in the wild. The vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin, indicating a systemic design flaw in access control implementation. The plugin is used in WordPress environments, which are widely deployed across many European organizations, especially in small and medium enterprises that rely on WordPress for content management and marketing. The lack of authorization checks on administrative AJAX endpoints is a common security oversight that can lead to privilege escalation or unauthorized data manipulation if not addressed.

For European organizations, this vulnerability primarily threatens the integrity of website content managed through the Ninja Countdown plugin. Unauthorized deletion of countdowns can disrupt marketing campaigns, event promotions, and user engagement efforts, potentially leading to loss of revenue or brand reputation damage. Although the vulnerability does not expose sensitive data or cause denial of service, the ability for low-privileged users to delete content undermines trust in the website's reliability and administrative controls. Organizations relying on countdown timers for sales, product launches, or event reminders may experience operational disruptions. Additionally, attackers could leverage this vulnerability as part of a broader attack chain to sow confusion or distract from other malicious activities. The impact is more pronounced for organizations with multiple users having Subscriber-level access, such as community sites or membership platforms. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe, especially in countries with strong e-commerce and digital marketing sectors, the threat is relevant to a broad range of industries including retail, media, and event management.

Until an official patch is released, organizations should implement compensating controls such as restricting Subscriber-level user capabilities to prevent access to the vulnerable AJAX endpoint. This can be achieved by customizing WordPress roles and capabilities to limit access to plugin administrative functions. Web application firewalls (WAFs) can be configured to detect and block suspicious AJAX requests targeting 'ninja_countdown_admin_ajax'. Monitoring and logging of AJAX endpoint access should be enhanced to identify unauthorized deletion attempts. Administrators should audit user roles and reduce the number of users with Subscriber-level or higher privileges where possible. Applying the principle of least privilege to user accounts will reduce the attack surface. Once a patch becomes available, prompt updating of the plugin is critical. Additionally, organizations should educate site administrators about this vulnerability and encourage regular plugin updates and security reviews. Backup procedures should be verified to ensure rapid restoration of deleted countdown data if exploitation occurs.