CVE-2025-14081 is an authorization bypass vulnerability classified under CWE-863 affecting the Ultimate Member plugin for WordPress, a widely used tool for managing user profiles, registrations, and content restrictions. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 2.11.0. The root cause is a flaw in the plugin's secure fields mechanism: field keys are added to an allowed fields list before the required permission check (`required_perm`) is enforced during profile rendering. This sequence allows authenticated users with Subscriber-level privileges to manipulate their profile privacy settings by directly modifying request parameters, such as setting their profile visibility to "Only me," even if the administrator has explicitly disabled this option for their role. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality directly but compromises integrity by allowing unauthorized changes to profile privacy settings. It requires authentication but no user interaction beyond the attacker's own actions. The attack vector is network-based with low complexity, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date. The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.3 (medium severity), reflecting limited impact on confidentiality and availability but a notable integrity impact. The plugin is popular among WordPress sites that require membership and content restriction features, making this vulnerability relevant for organizations relying on Ultimate Member for user management.

For European organizations, especially those operating membership-based websites or community platforms using the Ultimate Member plugin, this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modification of user profile privacy settings. Attackers with Subscriber-level access can conceal their profiles or alter visibility settings contrary to administrative policies, potentially undermining trust in the platform and complicating user management. While the vulnerability does not allow direct data exfiltration or system compromise, it can facilitate social engineering, insider threats, or abuse of platform features by hiding malicious user profiles. This may impact compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR if user privacy controls are circumvented. Additionally, organizations relying on accurate user visibility for operational or security purposes may face challenges in monitoring and controlling user activities. The medium severity indicates moderate risk, but the ease of exploitation and the widespread use of WordPress and Ultimate Member in Europe elevate the importance of addressing this issue promptly.

1. Monitor the Ultimate Member plugin's official channels for patches addressing CVE-2025-14081 and apply updates immediately upon release. 2. Until a patch is available, restrict Subscriber-level user capabilities by customizing roles and permissions to limit profile modification abilities, possibly using role management plugins. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block anomalous parameter manipulation attempts targeting profile privacy settings. 4. Conduct regular audits of user profile privacy settings to identify unauthorized changes, using automated scripts or monitoring tools. 5. Educate administrators and site managers about this vulnerability to enhance vigilance regarding suspicious user behavior. 6. Consider temporarily disabling or limiting the use of the Ultimate Member plugin's profile privacy features if feasible, to reduce attack surface. 7. Employ logging and alerting mechanisms to capture changes in user profile settings for forensic and response purposes. 8. Review and tighten overall WordPress security posture, including limiting plugin installations and enforcing strong authentication for administrative accounts.