CVE-2025-14720 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) found in the Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia WordPress plugin. The flaw exists because the plugin fails to enforce capability checks on several AJAX endpoints, which are accessible without authentication. This allows unauthenticated attackers to invoke sensitive actions remotely, including marking payments as refunded, which could lead to financial discrepancies or fraud. Additionally, attackers can trigger the sending of queued notifications via email, SMS, or WhatsApp, potentially enabling spam or phishing campaigns leveraging the victim's infrastructure. Access to debug information may also reveal sensitive internal details that could facilitate further attacks. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.2.38. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and limited impact on integrity without affecting confidentiality or availability. No patches or exploits are currently documented, but the risk remains significant due to the plugin's widespread use in managing appointments and events on WordPress sites.

For European organizations, exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized manipulation of payment records, resulting in financial losses or accounting inconsistencies. The ability to trigger queued notifications could be abused to send unsolicited or malicious messages to clients, damaging reputation and potentially violating GDPR regulations concerning communication consent and data protection. Access to debug information might expose internal system details, increasing the risk of subsequent targeted attacks. Organizations relying on Amelia for critical booking and event management functions may experience operational disruptions or loss of customer trust. Given the plugin's popularity among small to medium enterprises and service providers across Europe, the impact could be widespread, especially for sectors like healthcare, education, and professional services that depend heavily on appointment scheduling. Compliance with European data protection laws necessitates prompt remediation to avoid regulatory penalties.

European organizations should immediately verify the version of the Amelia Booking plugin in use and upgrade to a patched version once available. In the absence of an official patch, administrators should restrict access to the affected AJAX endpoints by implementing web application firewall (WAF) rules that block unauthenticated requests targeting these actions. Additionally, disabling or limiting the plugin's AJAX functionality via custom code or configuration can reduce exposure. Monitoring logs for unusual activity related to payment status changes or notification triggers is essential to detect exploitation attempts early. Organizations should also review and tighten user role permissions within WordPress to minimize privilege escalation risks. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning focused on WordPress plugins will help identify similar issues proactively. Finally, informing clients about potential phishing risks stemming from unauthorized notification sending can mitigate social engineering impacts.