CVE-2025-49991 is a security vulnerability classified under CWE-862, indicating a Missing Authorization issue in the tggfref WP-Recall plugin. This vulnerability arises because certain functionalities within WP-Recall are not properly constrained by Access Control Lists (ACLs), allowing unauthorized users to access features or operations that should be restricted. The affected product is WP-Recall, a plugin presumably used within WordPress environments, with versions up to 16.26.14 impacted. The vulnerability does not require any user interaction, privileges, or authentication to exploit, and it can be triggered remotely over the network (AV:N, AC:L, PR:N, UI:N). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3, indicating a medium severity level. The impact is limited to availability (A:L) with no direct impact on confidentiality or integrity. This suggests that exploitation may cause denial of service or disruption of service functionality but does not allow data leakage or unauthorized data modification. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability was published recently on June 20, 2025, and was reserved on June 11, 2025. The absence of proper authorization checks means that attackers can invoke sensitive functions without proper permissions, potentially leading to service interruptions or degraded functionality within affected WordPress sites using WP-Recall. Given the nature of WordPress plugins, this vulnerability could be leveraged to disrupt websites relying on WP-Recall for critical features, impacting availability and user experience.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-49991 primarily concerns service availability and operational continuity of websites or web applications utilizing the WP-Recall plugin. Organizations relying on WP-Recall for customer engagement, content management, or other interactive features may experience service disruptions if exploited. Although confidentiality and integrity are not directly compromised, availability issues can lead to reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and potential financial losses, especially for e-commerce or service-oriented platforms. The medium severity rating reflects that while the vulnerability does not enable data breaches, the ability for unauthenticated attackers to disrupt services remotely poses a tangible risk. European organizations with high web traffic or critical online services using WP-Recall could face downtime or degraded performance, affecting business operations. Additionally, regulatory frameworks such as GDPR emphasize service availability as part of data protection obligations, so prolonged disruptions might attract regulatory scrutiny. The lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk, but the window before patches are available necessitates proactive mitigation.

1. Immediate mitigation should involve disabling or uninstalling the WP-Recall plugin until a security patch is released by the vendor. 2. If WP-Recall functionality is essential, restrict access to the affected plugin's endpoints via web application firewalls (WAFs) or reverse proxies by implementing IP whitelisting or geo-blocking to limit exposure. 3. Monitor web server logs and application logs for unusual or unauthorized access attempts targeting WP-Recall functionalities. 4. Employ network-level controls to limit external access to administrative or plugin-specific URLs, reducing the attack surface. 5. Engage with the vendor or community to obtain timely updates or patches and apply them promptly once available. 6. Conduct internal audits of WordPress installations to inventory plugin versions and identify all instances of WP-Recall to ensure comprehensive coverage. 7. Consider implementing rate limiting on requests to WP-Recall endpoints to mitigate potential denial-of-service attempts. 8. Educate web administrators about this vulnerability and encourage vigilance for suspicious activity. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access restriction, monitoring, and proactive plugin management tailored to the specific vulnerability characteristics.