CVE-2025-5701 is a critical security vulnerability affecting the HyperComments plugin for WordPress, developed by siteheart. The vulnerability arises from a missing authorization check in the hc_request_handler function present in all versions up to and including 1.2.2. Specifically, the plugin fails to verify whether a user has the necessary capabilities before processing certain requests, allowing unauthenticated attackers to modify arbitrary WordPress options. This lack of access control enables attackers to escalate privileges by changing the default user role assigned upon registration to 'administrator' and enabling user registration. Consequently, an attacker can create an administrative user account without authentication, gaining full control over the affected WordPress site. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8 (critical), reflecting its high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as well as its ease of exploitation without any authentication or user interaction. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the severity and straightforward exploitation vector make this a significant threat to WordPress sites using the HyperComments plugin. Since WordPress powers a substantial portion of websites globally, and plugins like HyperComments are widely used for comment management, this vulnerability poses a serious risk to website integrity and security.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-5701 can be severe. Many European businesses, governmental agencies, and non-profits rely on WordPress for their web presence, including blogs, e-commerce, and informational portals. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized administrative access, allowing attackers to deface websites, steal sensitive data, inject malicious content, or disrupt services. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to data breaches involving personal data protected under GDPR, and cause operational downtime. The ability to create administrator accounts without authentication also increases the risk of persistent backdoors and further lateral movement within the organization's network if the WordPress site is integrated with internal systems. Given the criticality of the vulnerability and the ease of exploitation, European entities with public-facing WordPress sites using the HyperComments plugin are at high risk of compromise, potentially resulting in regulatory penalties, financial loss, and erosion of customer trust.

1. Immediate update or removal of the HyperComments plugin: Since the vulnerability affects all versions up to 1.2.2 and no patch links are currently available, organizations should consider disabling or uninstalling the plugin until a secure version is released. 2. Restrict user registration: Temporarily disable user registration on affected WordPress sites to prevent attackers from exploiting the vulnerability to create administrative accounts. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules: Deploy WAF rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the hc_request_handler function or attempts to modify WordPress options via the plugin. 4. Monitor logs for anomalous activity: Review web server and WordPress logs for unauthorized option changes or unexpected user registrations, especially those assigning administrator roles. 5. Harden WordPress security: Enforce strong administrative passwords, enable two-factor authentication for existing admin accounts, and limit plugin installations to trusted sources. 6. Prepare for incident response: Develop a plan to quickly respond to potential compromises, including restoring from clean backups and rotating credentials. 7. Stay informed: Monitor vendor announcements and security advisories for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available.