CVE-2025-14618 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) found in the Sweet Energy Efficiency plugin for WordPress, developed by listingthemes. The flaw exists because the AJAX handler 'sweet_energy_efficiency_action' lacks proper capability checks, allowing any authenticated user with subscriber-level permissions or above to invoke this handler without authorization validation. This enables such users to perform unauthorized operations including reading, modifying, and deleting arbitrary graphs managed by the plugin. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.0.6. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact affects integrity (I:L) but not confidentiality or availability. No patches are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The vulnerability primarily threatens the integrity of data visualizations or reports generated by the plugin, which could mislead users or disrupt decision-making processes relying on accurate energy efficiency data. Since the vulnerability requires at least subscriber-level authentication, it is less likely to be exploited by anonymous attackers but remains a risk from insider threats or compromised low-privilege accounts. The plugin is used in WordPress environments, which are widely deployed across many sectors, including energy and sustainability-focused organizations.

For European organizations, the impact centers on the integrity of energy efficiency data visualized or managed through the Sweet Energy Efficiency plugin. Unauthorized modification or deletion of graphs could lead to incorrect reporting, misinformed decisions, or compliance issues, especially in regulated sectors such as energy management, sustainability reporting, and environmental monitoring. While confidentiality and availability are not directly impacted, the loss of data integrity can undermine trust in digital systems and potentially cause operational inefficiencies or regulatory scrutiny. Organizations with multiple users having subscriber-level access are at increased risk, as attackers could leverage compromised or malicious user accounts to exploit this vulnerability. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, particularly as attackers may develop exploits after public disclosure. European entities relying on WordPress for energy-related data visualization should be vigilant, as inaccurate data could affect energy consumption optimization and reporting obligations under EU directives on energy efficiency and sustainability.

1. Monitor official listingthemes and WordPress plugin repositories for patches addressing CVE-2025-14618 and apply updates promptly once available. 2. Until patches are released, restrict subscriber-level user capabilities to the minimum necessary, potentially disabling or limiting access to the Sweet Energy Efficiency plugin features. 3. Implement strict user account management policies, including multi-factor authentication and regular review of subscriber accounts to prevent unauthorized access. 4. Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to detect and block suspicious AJAX requests targeting 'sweet_energy_efficiency_action' endpoints. 5. Conduct regular audits of plugin data integrity to detect unauthorized modifications or deletions of graphs. 6. Consider isolating or sandboxing the plugin environment to limit the impact of potential exploitation. 7. Educate users with subscriber-level access about the risks and encourage reporting of suspicious activity. 8. Employ logging and alerting mechanisms focused on AJAX handler usage to identify anomalous behavior early.