CVE-2025-14370 is a vulnerability identified in the Quote Comments plugin for WordPress, maintained by metodiew, affecting all versions up to and including 3.0.0. The root cause is a missing authorization check in the quotecomments_add_admin function, which is responsible for handling administrative actions within the plugin. This flaw allows any authenticated user with at least Subscriber-level access to manipulate the 'action' parameter to update arbitrary plugin options without proper permission validation. Since WordPress Subscriber roles typically have minimal privileges, this vulnerability significantly elevates the risk by enabling low-privilege users to alter plugin configurations, potentially leading to further exploitation or site misbehavior. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating a failure to enforce proper access control. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), with an attack vector of network (remote), low attack complexity, no privileges required beyond authentication, no user interaction needed, and an impact limited to integrity (no confidentiality or availability impact). No public exploits have been reported yet, but the ease of exploitation and the widespread use of WordPress and its plugins make this a notable risk. The absence of a patch link suggests that a fix may not yet be publicly available, emphasizing the need for interim mitigations.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to the integrity of WordPress sites using the Quote Comments plugin. Unauthorized modification of plugin options could lead to altered site behavior, potential privilege escalation, or introduction of malicious configurations that might facilitate further attacks such as cross-site scripting or data manipulation. While it does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability, the integrity impact can undermine trust in web content and potentially expose organizations to reputational damage or compliance issues, especially under GDPR if personal data handling is affected indirectly. Organizations relying on WordPress for customer engagement, content publishing, or e-commerce should consider this vulnerability seriously, as attackers with low-level access could leverage it to gain greater control or disrupt services. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, particularly as attackers often weaponize such flaws once disclosed.

1. Immediately restrict access to the Quote Comments plugin settings to trusted administrators only, ensuring Subscriber-level users cannot access or invoke administrative functions. 2. Implement strict role-based access controls (RBAC) in WordPress to limit plugin management capabilities. 3. Monitor logs for unusual activity related to the 'action' parameter or plugin option changes, especially from low-privilege accounts. 4. Disable or remove the Quote Comments plugin if it is not essential to reduce attack surface. 5. Stay alert for official patches or updates from the plugin vendor and apply them promptly once released. 6. Consider deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block unauthorized attempts to exploit this vulnerability. 7. Educate site administrators about the risk of granting unnecessary privileges to users and enforce the principle of least privilege. 8. Regularly audit user roles and permissions to ensure no privilege creep has occurred.