The vulnerability CVE-2025-13085 affects the SiteSEO – SEO Simplified plugin for WordPress, specifically versions up to and including 1.3.2. The root cause is improper authorization (CWE-285) in the resolve_variables() AJAX handler, which lacks object-level permission checks. This flaw allows any authenticated user with the siteseo_manage capability—commonly granted to Author-level users by administrators—to retrieve arbitrary post metadata from posts, pages, attachments, or WooCommerce orders they do not have edit rights to. The attack vector leverages the plugin's custom field variable resolution feature, which, when legacy storage is enabled, exposes sensitive data. In WooCommerce contexts, this can lead to leakage of customer billing details such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and payment methods. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication and does not affect data integrity or availability, only confidentiality. No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the risk remains for organizations with misconfigured permissions or legacy storage enabled. The CVSS 3.1 score of 4.3 reflects a network attack vector with low complexity and low privileges required, but limited impact scope.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to those operating WordPress sites with the SiteSEO – SEO Simplified plugin installed, especially if WooCommerce is used for e-commerce. The exposure of sensitive customer billing information could lead to privacy violations under GDPR, resulting in regulatory fines and reputational damage. Unauthorized disclosure of personal data such as names, emails, phone numbers, and payment details could facilitate identity theft, fraud, or targeted phishing attacks. Since the vulnerability requires authenticated access with specific plugin permissions, the impact is mitigated by proper user role management; however, organizations with lax access controls or delegated SiteSEO permissions to non-administrative users are at higher risk. The confidentiality breach could undermine customer trust and lead to financial and legal consequences. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so operational disruption is unlikely. Nonetheless, the sensitive nature of exposed data makes this a significant concern for European businesses handling personal and payment information.

European organizations should immediately audit user roles and permissions related to the SiteSEO plugin, ensuring that only trusted administrators have the siteseo_manage capability. Restrict SiteSEO access to the minimum necessary users, preferably administrators only. Disable legacy storage in the plugin settings if possible, as this feature enables the sensitive data exposure. Monitor WordPress user accounts for unauthorized privilege escalations or suspicious activity. Since no official patch is currently available, consider temporarily deactivating the SiteSEO plugin or replacing it with alternative SEO tools that do not have this vulnerability. Implement strict WooCommerce order metadata access controls and review custom field usage to limit sensitive data exposure. Regularly update WordPress core, plugins, and themes to incorporate security fixes once patches for this vulnerability are released. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) to detect and block suspicious AJAX requests targeting the resolve_variables() handler. Finally, educate administrators on the risks of granting plugin capabilities to lower-privileged users.