CVE-2025-12881 is an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability classified under CWE-639, found in the Return Refund and Exchange For WooCommerce plugin for WordPress. The issue arises from the wps_rma_fetch_order_msgs() function, which fails to properly validate a user-controlled key parameter. This lack of validation allows authenticated users with Subscriber-level permissions or higher to bypass authorization controls and access order messages that belong to other users. The vulnerability affects all plugin versions up to and including 4.5.5. Exploitation requires authentication but no additional user interaction, and it can be performed remotely over the network. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium severity), reflecting low complexity of attack (low attack complexity), network attack vector, and limited impact primarily on confidentiality. The flaw does not impact data integrity or system availability. No patches are currently linked, and no known exploits have been observed in the wild as of the publication date. This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive customer order communications, potentially exposing personal or transactional information. Organizations using WooCommerce with this plugin should monitor for updates and consider interim access control measures.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk to customer data confidentiality by allowing unauthorized access to order messages, which may contain personal or transactional details protected under GDPR. Exposure of such data could lead to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and loss of customer trust. Since the vulnerability requires only Subscriber-level access, attackers could leverage compromised or malicious user accounts to exploit it. E-commerce businesses relying on WooCommerce with this plugin are particularly at risk, especially those handling large volumes of customer orders. Although the impact does not extend to data integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach alone is significant given the sensitivity of order communications. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as the vulnerability is publicly disclosed. Organizations must act proactively to prevent unauthorized data disclosure and comply with data protection regulations.

1. Monitor the vendor’s official channels for patches addressing CVE-2025-12881 and apply updates promptly once available. 2. Until patched, restrict Subscriber-level user permissions to the minimum necessary, and audit existing Subscriber accounts for suspicious activity. 3. Implement additional access control checks at the application or web server level to prevent unauthorized access to order messages. 4. Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the vulnerable function or parameters. 5. Conduct regular security reviews and penetration tests focusing on authorization controls within WooCommerce plugins. 6. Educate administrators and users about the risks of account compromise and enforce strong authentication mechanisms, such as MFA, to reduce the likelihood of attacker access. 7. Review and sanitize logs to detect any anomalous access patterns related to order message retrieval. 8. Consider isolating or disabling the vulnerable plugin functionality if it is not critical to business operations until a fix is deployed.