The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-14720 affects the Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.2.38. It is categorized under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), meaning the plugin fails to properly verify user permissions before allowing certain AJAX actions. Specifically, multiple AJAX endpoints lack capability checks, enabling unauthenticated attackers to invoke sensitive functions remotely. These functions include marking payments as refunded, which can undermine financial integrity by falsely altering transaction statuses; triggering the sending of queued notifications via email, SMS, or WhatsApp, potentially leading to spam or phishing vectors; and accessing debug information that could aid further attacks or reconnaissance. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction, increasing its risk profile. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.3 (medium severity), reflecting the lack of confidentiality impact but notable integrity concerns. No patches or official fixes are currently available, and no exploits have been observed in the wild. The vulnerability's presence in a widely used WordPress plugin means that numerous websites, especially those handling appointments and payments, are at risk. Attackers could leverage this flaw to disrupt business operations, cause financial discrepancies, or facilitate further attacks by gathering debug data. The absence of authentication checks on AJAX actions is a critical design oversight that must be addressed by the vendor. Until a patch is released, organizations must implement compensating controls to mitigate exploitation risks.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the integrity of financial transactions and operational workflows related to appointment bookings and event management. Unauthorized marking of payments as refunded can lead to financial losses, accounting discrepancies, and potential fraud investigations. Triggering queued notifications without authorization can cause reputational damage through spam or phishing campaigns, confusing customers and undermining trust. Access to debug information may expose internal system details, aiding attackers in crafting more sophisticated attacks. Organizations relying on Amelia Booking for critical scheduling and payment functions may experience operational disruptions, customer dissatisfaction, and increased incident response costs. The impact is particularly relevant for sectors such as healthcare, education, professional services, and event management, where appointment scheduling is integral. Given the plugin's integration with WordPress, a platform widely used across Europe, the attack surface is broad. The medium severity rating reflects the absence of confidentiality breaches but highlights the potential for integrity violations and service disruption. The lack of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the ease of exploitation without authentication necessitates urgent attention.

1. Immediately audit all WordPress sites using the Amelia Booking plugin to identify affected versions (up to 1.2.38). 2. Restrict access to the plugin's AJAX endpoints at the web server or application firewall level, allowing only trusted IP addresses or authenticated users where feasible. 3. Implement custom capability checks or use WordPress hooks to enforce authorization on AJAX actions until an official patch is available. 4. Monitor logs for unusual activity related to payment status changes and notification triggers, setting alerts for anomalous patterns. 5. Disable or limit the use of queued notifications temporarily to reduce the risk of abuse. 6. Regularly back up booking and payment data to enable recovery from unauthorized modifications. 7. Engage with the plugin vendor for updates and apply patches promptly once released. 8. Educate staff and users about potential phishing or spam campaigns resulting from unauthorized notification triggers. 9. Consider isolating the booking system from other critical infrastructure to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 10. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting known attack vectors against WordPress AJAX endpoints.