The WP Recipe Maker plugin for WordPress, widely used for managing and displaying recipe content, contains a vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-15527. This flaw exists in the api_get_post_summary function, which fails to enforce adequate access restrictions on which posts can be retrieved by authenticated users. Specifically, users with Contributor-level privileges or higher can exploit this vulnerability to access summaries of posts they do not have permission to read or edit, including posts that are private, password-protected, or still in draft status. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-200, indicating exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. The issue arises because the plugin's API endpoint does not properly verify user permissions before returning post summaries, allowing unauthorized data disclosure. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 10.2.2 of WP Recipe Maker. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a network attack vector with low complexity, requiring privileges but no user interaction, and impacting confidentiality only. No integrity or availability impacts are noted. As of the published date, no known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the vulnerability poses a risk to sites where multiple users have contributor or higher roles. Attackers could leverage this flaw to gather sensitive content information, potentially aiding further attacks or data leakage. The vulnerability is particularly relevant to WordPress sites that use WP Recipe Maker and have multiple authenticated users with contributor or higher roles.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-15527 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive post content, including private, password-protected, or draft posts, which can compromise confidentiality. Organizations relying on WP Recipe Maker for content management may inadvertently expose sensitive or proprietary information to users who should not have access. This could lead to privacy violations, intellectual property leakage, or reputational damage if sensitive recipes or related content are exposed. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, the unauthorized information exposure could be leveraged by attackers for social engineering, phishing, or further targeted attacks. The requirement for authenticated access with at least Contributor-level privileges limits the attack surface to internal or registered users, reducing the risk from external anonymous attackers. However, in environments with many contributors or loosely controlled user roles, the risk is more pronounced. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests limited active exploitation currently, but the vulnerability remains a concern for organizations with sensitive content or strict confidentiality requirements.

To mitigate CVE-2025-15527, organizations should first update the WP Recipe Maker plugin to a version where this vulnerability is patched once available. In the absence of an official patch, administrators should restrict Contributor-level and higher permissions to trusted users only, minimizing the number of users who can exploit this flaw. Implementing strict role-based access controls and regularly auditing user roles can reduce exposure. Additionally, consider disabling or limiting the use of the api_get_post_summary function if possible, or applying custom code filters to enforce stricter permission checks on API endpoints. Monitoring logs for unusual access patterns to post summaries can help detect exploitation attempts. Finally, educating content contributors about the sensitivity of draft and private posts and enforcing strong internal security policies will further reduce risk.