CVE-2025-3876 is a high-severity privilege escalation vulnerability affecting the SMS Alert Order Notifications – WooCommerce plugin for WordPress, developed by cozyvision1. The vulnerability arises from insufficient user OTP (One-Time Password) validation in the handleWpLoginCreateUserAction() function in all plugin versions up to and including 3.8.1. Specifically, authenticated users with Subscriber-level access or higher can exploit this flaw by supplying a target username or email address, thereby impersonating any account on the system and escalating their privileges to that of an administrator. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating that the plugin fails to properly enforce authorization checks before performing sensitive actions. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, reflecting a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with an attack vector over the network, low attack complexity, and no user interaction required. The scope remains unchanged, meaning the vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild yet, the nature of the vulnerability makes it a critical risk for WordPress sites using this plugin, as attackers with minimal privileges can gain full administrative control, potentially leading to site takeover, data theft, or further malicious activity. The lack of a patch link suggests that a fix may not yet be publicly available, increasing the urgency for mitigation.

For European organizations relying on WooCommerce with the SMS Alert Order Notifications plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant threat. An attacker with subscriber-level access—often easily obtained through phishing or weak credentials—can escalate privileges to administrator, gaining full control over the e-commerce platform. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive customer data, manipulation of orders, injection of malicious code, or disruption of services. Given the widespread use of WooCommerce in Europe for online retail, the potential impact includes financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory non-compliance, especially under GDPR due to exposure of personal data. The vulnerability also increases the risk of supply chain attacks if attackers leverage the compromised site to distribute malware to customers or partners. The absence of known exploits does not diminish the risk, as the vulnerability is straightforward to exploit and could be targeted in automated attacks. Organizations operating in sectors with high-value transactions or sensitive customer information are particularly at risk.

Immediate mitigation steps include restricting Subscriber-level user creation and access until a patch is available. Administrators should audit existing user accounts for suspicious activity and enforce strong authentication policies, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users with elevated privileges. Monitoring logs for unusual login attempts or privilege escalations is critical. Since no official patch link is provided, organizations should consider temporarily disabling or removing the SMS Alert Order Notifications plugin if feasible. Alternatively, applying custom code fixes to enforce proper OTP validation and authorization checks in the handleWpLoginCreateUserAction() function can be considered by experienced developers. Regular backups and incident response plans should be updated to prepare for potential exploitation. Additionally, organizations should subscribe to vendor and security advisories to promptly apply patches once released.