CVE-2025-5486: dr_scythe WP Email Debug · Missing Authorization
Affects dr_scythe WP Email DebugSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 42% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Jun 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| dr_scythe WP Email Debug | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Immediate mitigation steps include disabling or uninstalling the WP Email Debug plugin if an update or patch is not yet available. Administrators should monitor outgoing emails for suspicious redirection and verify that debugging mode is not enabled unintentionally. Implementing web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to block unauthorized access to plugin-specific endpoints can reduce exposure. Restricting access to the WordPress admin area by IP whitelisting or multi-factor authentication can limit attacker capabilities. Site owners should audit user accounts for unauthorized changes and reset passwords for all administrators if compromise is suspected. Monitoring logs for unusual password reset requests or email activity is critical. Once a patch is released, prompt updating to a fixed version is essential. Additionally, security teams should educate users about phishing risks related to intercepted emails and consider deploying email security solutions to detect malicious redirects.
Description
The WP Email Debug plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the WPMDBUG_handle_settings() function in versions 1.0 to 1.1.0. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to enable debugging and send all emails to an attacker controlled address and then trigger a password reset for an administrator to gain access to an administrator account.