CVE-2025-2110 is a critical authorization bypass vulnerability categorized under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) found in the WP Compress – Instant Performance & Speed Optimization plugin for WordPress. This plugin, designed to optimize site speed and performance, exposes several AJAX endpoints that lack proper capability checks. As a result, any authenticated user with at least Subscriber-level privileges can invoke these AJAX functions to access or manipulate sensitive plugin settings. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 6.30.15. Attackers exploiting this flaw can retrieve confidential configuration details, alter optimization parameters, or delete settings, potentially degrading site performance or causing denial of service. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring user interaction beyond authentication, increasing its risk profile. Although no public exploits have been observed yet, the CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The root cause is the absence of proper authorization checks on AJAX handlers, a common security oversight in WordPress plugins. This flaw underscores the importance of rigorous capability verification in plugin development to prevent privilege escalation and unauthorized access.

The impact of CVE-2025-2110 is significant for organizations running WordPress sites with the WP Compress plugin installed. Unauthorized users with minimal privileges can escalate their capabilities to access and modify sensitive plugin configurations, potentially leading to data leakage, site performance degradation, or denial of service. This can undermine the confidentiality of site settings and integrity of optimization processes, causing operational disruptions. For e-commerce, media, or high-traffic websites relying on WP Compress for performance, exploitation could result in degraded user experience, loss of customer trust, and potential revenue loss. Additionally, attackers might leverage this access as a foothold for further attacks, such as injecting malicious code or pivoting to other parts of the site infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote exploitability and lack of user interaction requirements increase the likelihood of targeted attacks. Organizations without strict user role management or monitoring may be particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks once exploit code becomes available.

To mitigate CVE-2025-2110 effectively, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Immediately review and restrict WordPress user roles to the minimum necessary privileges, especially limiting Subscriber-level users from accessing sensitive plugin features. 2) Monitor and audit AJAX requests to the WP Compress plugin endpoints for unusual or unauthorized activity, using web application firewalls (WAFs) or intrusion detection systems (IDS). 3) Apply any official patches or updates from the plugin vendor as soon as they are released; if no patch is available, consider temporarily disabling the plugin or its AJAX functionality. 4) Implement custom capability checks or filters in WordPress to enforce stricter authorization on the affected AJAX functions if feasible. 5) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on plugin vulnerabilities and privilege escalation paths. 6) Educate site administrators about the risks of granting unnecessary privileges to users and encourage strong authentication practices. 7) Use security plugins that can detect and block unauthorized AJAX calls or anomalous behavior related to WP Compress. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on role management, monitoring, and proactive controls specific to the plugin's attack surface.