CVE-2025-2289 identifies a missing authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) in the Zegen - Church WordPress Theme developed by zozothemes. The issue exists in all versions up to and including 1.1.9, where several AJAX endpoints lack proper capability checks. These endpoints allow authenticated users with Subscriber-level privileges or higher to perform sensitive actions such as importing, exporting, and updating theme options. Normally, such operations should be restricted to administrators or trusted roles to prevent unauthorized changes. The vulnerability does not allow unauthenticated access, nor does it directly impact confidentiality or availability, but it compromises integrity by enabling unauthorized modification of theme settings. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting low complexity (AC:L), network attack vector (AV:N), and the requirement for low privileges (PR:L) but no user interaction (UI:N). No patches or known exploits are currently available, but the flaw could be exploited in environments where users have Subscriber or higher roles, which is common in multi-user WordPress sites. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper authorization checks on AJAX endpoints in WordPress themes and plugins to prevent privilege escalation or unauthorized configuration changes.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-2289 is unauthorized modification of theme options by low-privilege authenticated users. This can lead to integrity issues such as altered site appearance, misconfiguration, or enabling of malicious settings that could facilitate further attacks or degrade user trust. While it does not directly expose sensitive data or cause denial of service, unauthorized changes to theme options can indirectly affect site functionality and user experience. Organizations running WordPress sites with multiple user roles, especially those allowing Subscriber-level access to external or less-trusted users, are at risk. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to subtly manipulate site content or settings, potentially leading to reputational damage or facilitating subsequent attacks such as phishing or malware distribution. The lack of patches increases exposure time, and the network-accessible nature of the flaw means it can be exploited remotely by any authenticated user. Overall, the vulnerability poses a moderate risk to the integrity of affected WordPress sites, particularly those used by religious organizations or communities relying on the Zegen theme.

To mitigate CVE-2025-2289, organizations should immediately audit user roles and permissions to ensure that only trusted users have Subscriber-level or higher access, minimizing the risk of exploitation. Temporarily restrict or disable access to theme option import/export features if possible until an official patch is released. Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to monitor and block suspicious AJAX requests targeting theme option endpoints. Site administrators should monitor logs for unusual activity related to theme option changes. Consider using role management plugins to enforce stricter capability checks on AJAX endpoints. Regularly check for updates from zozothemes and apply patches promptly once available. Additionally, conduct security reviews of other installed themes and plugins to identify similar missing authorization issues. Employing a principle of least privilege for user accounts and segregating duties can reduce the attack surface. Finally, maintain regular backups of site configurations to enable quick restoration if unauthorized changes occur.