CVE-2025-13559 is a critical vulnerability identified in the EduKart Pro plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.0.3. The root cause lies in the 'edukart_pro_register_user_front_end' function, which fails to properly restrict the user roles that can be assigned during front-end user registration. Specifically, this function allows unauthenticated users to specify the 'administrator' role when registering, thereby granting themselves full administrative privileges on the WordPress site. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), indicating a failure to enforce proper access control policies. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8 (critical), reflecting the vulnerability's ease of exploitation (no authentication or user interaction required), and its severe impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the vulnerability's nature makes it highly exploitable by attackers to gain complete control over vulnerable WordPress sites. This can lead to data theft, site defacement, malware deployment, or use of the compromised site as a pivot point for further attacks. The vulnerability affects all versions of EduKart Pro up to 1.0.3, and no official patches or updates have been linked yet, necessitating urgent attention from site administrators.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-13559 is substantial. EduKart Pro is a plugin designed for educational platforms, which are widely used by universities, training providers, and e-learning companies across Europe. A successful exploitation would allow attackers to gain administrator-level access to WordPress sites, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, manipulation or deletion of educational content, disruption of learning services, and compromise of user data including personal and academic records. This could result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties under GDPR due to data breaches, and operational downtime. Furthermore, compromised sites could be leveraged to distribute malware or conduct phishing campaigns targeting students and staff. The critical severity and ease of exploitation mean that organizations with limited WordPress security expertise are particularly vulnerable. The threat is amplified in sectors where EduKart Pro is integrated with other educational tools or sensitive databases, increasing the potential attack surface and impact.

Immediate mitigation steps include disabling the EduKart Pro plugin until a patch is available or restricting access to the user registration functionality. Administrators should audit user roles and remove any unauthorized administrator accounts created via this vulnerability. Implementing web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to block suspicious registration attempts specifying elevated roles can provide temporary protection. Monitoring logs for unusual registration activity is essential to detect exploitation attempts early. Site owners should follow best practices by limiting plugin installations to trusted sources and keeping all WordPress components updated. Once the vendor releases a patch, it should be applied promptly. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrator accounts can reduce the risk of account misuse. Educating site administrators about this vulnerability and encouraging regular security audits will help prevent exploitation. Finally, backing up site data regularly ensures recovery capability in case of compromise.