CVE-2025-14481: CWE-862 Missing Authorization in yoast Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI
The Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object References in all versions up to, and including, 26.5. This is due to insufficient authorization checks in the Meta Search REST API endpoint that fail to verify post ownership. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to read sensitive SEO metadata from any post on the site via the 'post_id' parameter, including posts owned by other users, private posts, and draft posts.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2025-14481 is an Insecure Direct Object Reference vulnerability (CWE-862) in the Yoast SEO WordPress plugin up to version 26.5. The issue arises from insufficient authorization checks in the Meta Search REST API endpoint, allowing authenticated users with Contributor or higher privileges to access SEO metadata of posts they do not own by specifying arbitrary 'post_id' values. This includes access to private and draft posts' metadata, potentially exposing sensitive SEO information. The vulnerability is rated medium severity with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.3 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
Potential Impact
Authenticated users with Contributor-level or higher privileges can read SEO metadata from any post on the affected WordPress site, including private and draft posts owned by other users. This exposure is limited to confidentiality impact on SEO metadata and does not affect integrity or availability. There are no reports of active exploitation in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, restrict Contributor-level access where possible and monitor for updates from Yoast regarding patches. Avoid granting Contributor or higher privileges to untrusted users.
CVE-2025-14481: CWE-862 Missing Authorization in yoast Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI
Description
The Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object References in all versions up to, and including, 26.5. This is due to insufficient authorization checks in the Meta Search REST API endpoint that fail to verify post ownership. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to read sensitive SEO metadata from any post on the site via the 'post_id' parameter, including posts owned by other users, private posts, and draft posts.
CVSS v3.1
Score 4.3medium
Affected software
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-14481 is an Insecure Direct Object Reference vulnerability (CWE-862) in the Yoast SEO WordPress plugin up to version 26.5. The issue arises from insufficient authorization checks in the Meta Search REST API endpoint, allowing authenticated users with Contributor or higher privileges to access SEO metadata of posts they do not own by specifying arbitrary 'post_id' values. This includes access to private and draft posts' metadata, potentially exposing sensitive SEO information. The vulnerability is rated medium severity with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.3 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
Potential Impact
Authenticated users with Contributor-level or higher privileges can read SEO metadata from any post on the affected WordPress site, including private and draft posts owned by other users. This exposure is limited to confidentiality impact on SEO metadata and does not affect integrity or availability. There are no reports of active exploitation in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, restrict Contributor-level access where possible and monitor for updates from Yoast regarding patches. Avoid granting Contributor or higher privileges to untrusted users.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- Wordfence
- Date Reserved
- 2025-12-10T19:03:32.498Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a167b26e29bf47b50985299
Added to database: 05/27/2026, 05:03:34 UTC
Last enriched: 05/27/2026, 05:18:58 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:53 UTC
Views: 108
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.