The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-2276 affects the Ultimate Dashboard – Custom WordPress Dashboard plugin developed by davidvongries. The issue stems from a missing authorization check (CWE-862) in the handle_module_actions function, which is responsible for managing activation and deactivation of plugin modules. This flaw allows any authenticated user with at least Subscriber-level privileges to modify plugin modules without proper permission validation. Since WordPress Subscriber roles typically have minimal privileges, this vulnerability effectively elevates their ability to alter plugin behavior, which could be leveraged to enable malicious modules or disable security-related modules. The vulnerability is present in all versions up to and including 3.8.7. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting the low complexity of exploitation (no user interaction required, low privileges needed) but limited impact confined to integrity (no confidentiality or availability impact). No patches or known exploits have been reported as of the publication date. The vulnerability is network exploitable and does not require user interaction, increasing its risk in multi-user WordPress environments. The absence of capability checks violates secure coding best practices and highlights the importance of strict role-based access control in WordPress plugins.

This vulnerability allows unauthorized modification of plugin modules by users with minimal privileges, which can undermine the integrity of the WordPress site’s plugin configuration. Attackers could activate malicious modules or deactivate security or monitoring modules, potentially facilitating further attacks such as privilege escalation, data manipulation, or persistence mechanisms. While it does not directly expose sensitive data or cause denial of service, the ability to alter plugin behavior can lead to significant security risks if exploited in a targeted attack. Organizations running WordPress sites with multiple user roles, especially those allowing Subscriber-level access to untrusted users, are at risk. The vulnerability could be leveraged in combination with other flaws to escalate privileges or implant backdoors, increasing the overall threat landscape. The lack of a patch means the vulnerability remains exploitable until fixed, increasing exposure time.

Until an official patch is released, organizations should implement strict user role management by limiting Subscriber-level access to trusted users only. Review and audit user accounts regularly to remove unnecessary or inactive accounts. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the handle_module_actions function or unusual plugin module activation/deactivation patterns. Consider disabling or uninstalling the Ultimate Dashboard plugin if it is not essential. Monitor WordPress logs for unexpected plugin module changes. When a patch becomes available, apply it promptly. Additionally, implement the principle of least privilege by restricting plugin management capabilities to Administrator roles only. Security teams should also consider isolating WordPress instances and using multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of compromised accounts being used to exploit this vulnerability.