CVE-2025-13680 is a critical privilege escalation vulnerability identified in the DirectoryThemes Tiger theme for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 101.2.1. The root cause lies in improper privilege management (CWE-269), where the theme improperly allows authenticated users with Subscriber-level or higher access to invoke the $user->set_role() function. This function call enables these users to change their own user roles to administrator, effectively bypassing intended access controls. The vulnerability requires no user interaction (UI:N) and can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L). The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the exploit affects only the privileges of the user within the same security scope but grants full administrative rights. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H) because an attacker gaining admin privileges can fully control the WordPress site, including data theft, content manipulation, and service disruption. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the vulnerability's characteristics suggest it could be weaponized easily. The absence of patches at the time of disclosure requires organizations to implement interim mitigations. This vulnerability is particularly concerning for WordPress sites that rely on the Tiger theme, which may be used in various industries including media, e-commerce, and corporate websites. The vulnerability was published on November 27, 2025, and assigned a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 by Wordfence, indicating a high-severity threat that demands immediate remediation efforts.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-13680 is significant due to the widespread use of WordPress as a content management system across many sectors such as government, education, media, and commerce. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can gain full administrative control over affected WordPress sites, leading to unauthorized data access, defacement, insertion of malicious content, or complete site takeover. This compromises the confidentiality of sensitive information, the integrity of published content, and the availability of web services. The ability to escalate privileges from a low-level user account means that even minimally privileged insiders or external attackers who have obtained subscriber-level credentials can cause severe damage. This could result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations due to data breaches), and financial losses. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the ease of exploitation and high impact necessitate urgent action. Organizations relying on the Tiger theme should consider the risk of targeted attacks, especially those with high-value web assets or sensitive user data.

1. Immediately audit all WordPress sites using the DirectoryThemes Tiger theme to identify affected versions (up to 101.2.1). 2. Restrict user role modification capabilities by disabling or limiting access to functions that invoke $user->set_role() for non-administrative users, possibly via custom code or security plugins that enforce role assignment policies. 3. Monitor logs for suspicious user role changes or privilege escalations and set up alerts for anomalous behavior. 4. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts with elevated privileges to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 5. Isolate or segment WordPress administrative interfaces to limit exposure to potentially compromised accounts. 6. Regularly back up WordPress sites and databases to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise. 7. Stay informed about official patches or updates from DirectoryThemes and apply them promptly once released. 8. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. 9. Educate site administrators and users about the risks of privilege escalation and the importance of least privilege principles. 10. If immediate patching is not possible, consider temporarily disabling the Tiger theme or replacing it with a secure alternative.