The FS Registration Password plugin for WordPress suffers from a critical authorization bypass vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-15001, classified under CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key). This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.0.1. The root cause is the plugin's failure to properly validate a user's identity before allowing password updates. Specifically, unauthenticated attackers can exploit this flaw to change any user's password, including those of administrators, without needing to authenticate or interact with the victim. This results in privilege escalation through account takeover, granting attackers full control over compromised accounts. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8, reflecting its critical nature with network attack vector, no required privileges, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although no public exploits are currently known, the ease of exploitation and potential impact make this a severe threat. The vulnerability affects WordPress sites using the FS Registration Password plugin, which is used to manage password registration and reset functionalities. Attackers leveraging this flaw can gain unauthorized administrative access, potentially leading to website defacement, data theft, malware deployment, or pivoting to other internal systems.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be severe. WordPress is widely used across Europe for corporate websites, e-commerce platforms, and internal portals. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can gain administrative access to affected WordPress sites, leading to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or complete site takeover. This can result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations due to data breaches), financial losses, and operational disruption. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure are particularly at risk due to the sensitive nature of their data and services. The vulnerability's ability to be exploited remotely without authentication increases the attack surface and risk profile. Additionally, compromised sites could be used as launchpads for further attacks within European networks or for distributing malware to European users.

1. Immediate upgrade or patching: Organizations should check for updates or patches from the fsylum vendor and apply them as soon as they become available. If no patch exists yet, consider disabling or removing the FS Registration Password plugin temporarily. 2. Access control hardening: Restrict administrative access to WordPress dashboards using IP whitelisting, VPNs, or multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of account takeover. 3. Monitor logs: Implement enhanced monitoring of WordPress authentication and password change logs to detect suspicious activities indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Web application firewall (WAF): Deploy or update WAF rules to detect and block unauthorized password change requests targeting this plugin. 5. Incident response readiness: Prepare to respond to potential breaches by backing up WordPress sites regularly and having a recovery plan in place. 6. Plugin inventory and risk assessment: Conduct audits of installed WordPress plugins to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities and reduce plugin attack surface by removing unnecessary plugins. 7. User education: Inform administrators and users about the risk and encourage strong, unique passwords and vigilance for suspicious account activity.