CVE-2025-57972 is a security vulnerability classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) affecting the WPFactory Helpdesk Support Ticket System plugin for WooCommerce. This vulnerability arises from improperly configured access control mechanisms within the plugin, allowing users with limited privileges (requiring at least some level of authentication) to perform actions or access resources beyond their authorization scope. Specifically, the flaw permits exploitation of incorrect access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized modification of support ticket data or related system functions. The affected versions include all versions up to 2.0.2, with no specific version range exclusions noted. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3, indicating a medium severity level. The vector indicates that the attack can be performed remotely over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), requires privileges (PR:L), does not require user interaction (UI:N), and impacts only integrity (I:L) without affecting confidentiality or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability was published on September 22, 2025, and assigned by Patchstack. The core technical issue is missing authorization checks that allow authenticated users with limited privileges to escalate their capabilities within the Helpdesk Support Ticket System, potentially leading to unauthorized changes to ticket data or system behavior, undermining data integrity within the WooCommerce helpdesk environment.

For European organizations using WooCommerce with the WPFactory Helpdesk Support Ticket System plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to data integrity within customer support workflows. Unauthorized modification of support tickets could lead to misinformation, manipulation of customer requests, or disruption of support processes. This can degrade customer trust, cause operational inefficiencies, and potentially expose organizations to compliance risks under regulations like GDPR if support ticket data integrity is critical to customer data handling. Since the vulnerability requires authenticated access with low privileges, insider threats or compromised user accounts could be leveraged to exploit this flaw. The lack of impact on confidentiality or availability limits the scope of damage, but integrity violations in customer support systems can still have significant reputational and operational consequences, especially for e-commerce businesses relying on WooCommerce in Europe.

European organizations should immediately audit their WooCommerce installations to identify if the WPFactory Helpdesk Support Ticket System plugin is in use and verify the version. Until an official patch is released, organizations should restrict plugin access to only trusted users and enforce strict role-based access controls to minimize the risk of privilege misuse. Monitoring and logging of support ticket modifications should be enhanced to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations can implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to limit suspicious requests targeting the plugin endpoints. It is advisable to isolate the helpdesk system from broader network segments to reduce lateral movement risks. Once a vendor patch becomes available, prompt application of the update is critical. Organizations should also review user privilege assignments regularly and enforce strong authentication mechanisms to reduce the risk of compromised accounts being used to exploit this vulnerability.