CVE-2025-54037 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) affecting the News Kit Elementor Addons developed by blazethemes. This vulnerability arises from improperly configured access control mechanisms within the plugin, allowing an attacker with limited privileges (PR:L - privileges required: low) to perform unauthorized actions that should be restricted. The vulnerability does not require user interaction (UI:N) and can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N). The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4, indicating a moderate risk. The impact vector shows no confidentiality impact (C:N), but there is a potential integrity (I:L) and availability (A:L) impact, meaning attackers could alter or disrupt data or service availability without gaining access to confidential information. The vulnerability affects versions up to 1.3.4 of the News Kit Elementor Addons, though exact affected versions are not fully enumerated. No patches or known exploits in the wild have been reported yet. The root cause is missing or incorrect authorization checks, which could allow an attacker with low-level privileges to escalate their capabilities or perform unauthorized actions within the WordPress environment where this plugin is installed. Given the plugin integrates with Elementor, a widely used WordPress page builder, exploitation could affect website content integrity and availability, potentially leading to defacement, denial of service, or other disruptions.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to websites using WordPress with the News Kit Elementor Addons plugin. The integrity and availability impacts could lead to unauthorized content changes, service interruptions, or degraded user experience on corporate or public-facing websites. This could damage brand reputation, reduce customer trust, and potentially violate data protection regulations if service disruptions affect user data processing. Organizations relying on this plugin for news or content delivery may face operational challenges. Additionally, if exploited in sectors such as media, government, or e-commerce, the disruption could have broader socio-economic consequences. Since the vulnerability requires only low privileges and no user interaction, attackers could leverage compromised or low-privilege accounts to escalate attacks, increasing risk. However, the absence of confidentiality impact limits exposure of sensitive data directly through this flaw.

European organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of the News Kit Elementor Addons plugin, especially versions up to 1.3.4. Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider disabling or removing the plugin if it is not critical. For essential deployments, implement strict access controls to limit user privileges and monitor for unusual activity related to the plugin’s functionality. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the plugin endpoints. Regularly review user roles and permissions to ensure no excessive privileges are granted. Additionally, maintain comprehensive logging and alerting to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should subscribe to vendor advisories and Patchstack updates for timely patch releases and apply them promptly once available. Conduct penetration testing focused on authorization controls within WordPress plugins to proactively identify similar weaknesses.