CVE-2025-6038 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) affecting the Lisfinity Core plugin used by the pebas® Lisfinity WordPress theme. The issue exists in all versions up to and including 1.4.0, where the plugin fails to properly validate the identity of a user before allowing a password update. Specifically, authenticated users with Subscriber-level privileges or higher can exploit this flaw to change the passwords of arbitrary users, including administrators, effectively escalating their privileges. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without user interaction, as it requires only authenticated access at a low privilege level. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no user interaction needed. This vulnerability enables attackers to take over accounts, potentially leading to full site compromise, data theft, defacement, or deployment of malicious code. No patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, but the risk remains significant given the widespread use of WordPress and the plugin in question.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant threat to websites running the pebas® Lisfinity WordPress theme with the vulnerable Lisfinity Core plugin. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized account takeover, including administrator accounts, resulting in complete site control. This can cause data breaches, loss of customer trust, disruption of services, and potential regulatory non-compliance under GDPR due to unauthorized access to personal data. E-commerce platforms, media companies, and service providers relying on WordPress are particularly vulnerable to reputational damage and financial loss. The ease of exploitation and high impact on core security properties make this a critical concern for organizations with public-facing WordPress sites. Attackers could also leverage compromised sites for further attacks such as phishing, malware distribution, or lateral movement within corporate networks.

Immediate mitigation steps include upgrading the Lisfinity Core plugin to a version beyond 1.4.0 once a patch is released by the vendor. Until then, organizations should restrict Subscriber-level user privileges to trusted users only and consider temporarily disabling password update functionality if feasible. Implementing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious password update requests can reduce risk. Monitoring logs for unusual password changes or access patterns is critical for early detection. Organizations should enforce strong multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative accounts to limit the impact of compromised credentials. Regular backups and incident response plans should be reviewed and tested to prepare for potential exploitation. Finally, organizations should track vendor communications closely for patch releases and advisories.