CVE-2025-12981 is a critical security vulnerability affecting the Listee WordPress theme developed by dreamstechnologies, specifically versions up to and including 1.1.6. The root cause is a broken validation mechanism in the bundled listee-core plugin's user registration function, which fails to properly sanitize the user_role parameter. This improper privilege management (CWE-269) allows unauthenticated attackers to register accounts with Administrator privileges by manipulating this parameter during the registration process. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without any authentication or user interaction, making it highly accessible to attackers. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects the critical nature of this flaw, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected WordPress sites. Successful exploitation results in full administrative control over the website, enabling attackers to modify content, install malicious plugins, steal sensitive data, or disrupt service. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the simplicity of exploitation and the widespread use of WordPress and its themes make this a significant threat. The vulnerability was reserved in November 2025 and published in February 2026, but no official patches or updates have been linked yet, increasing the urgency for site administrators to apply mitigations or workarounds. This vulnerability highlights the importance of secure input validation and privilege assignment in WordPress themes and plugins.

The impact of CVE-2025-12981 is severe for organizations running WordPress sites with the Listee theme. An attacker can gain full administrative privileges without authentication, leading to complete site takeover. This compromises confidentiality by exposing sensitive user and business data, integrity by allowing unauthorized content and configuration changes, and availability by potentially disabling or defacing the website. For e-commerce, government, or enterprise sites, this could result in financial loss, reputational damage, regulatory penalties, and operational disruption. The ease of exploitation and lack of required user interaction increase the likelihood of automated attacks and widespread compromise. Organizations relying on Listee for critical web presence or customer engagement face significant risk until the vulnerability is remediated.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately disable public user registration if not required or restrict it using plugins that enforce strict role assignment policies. If registration is necessary, implement custom validation to sanitize and enforce allowed user roles, ensuring no elevation to Administrator is possible via user input. Monitor registration logs for suspicious activity, such as unexpected Administrator account creations. Apply web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block attempts to manipulate the user_role parameter. Regularly update the Listee theme and its plugins once the vendor releases a patch addressing this issue. Consider isolating or sandboxing WordPress installations using Listee to limit potential damage. Conduct thorough audits of existing user accounts to identify and remove any unauthorized Administrator accounts created before mitigation. Finally, educate site administrators about the risks and signs of compromise related to this vulnerability.