CVE-2025-6366 is a critical privilege escalation vulnerability affecting the Event List plugin for WordPress developed by ovatheme.com. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 2.0.4. The root cause is improper privilege management (CWE-269) in the el_update_profile() function, where the plugin fails to correctly validate user capabilities before allowing profile updates. As a result, authenticated users with minimal privileges, such as Subscribers, can exploit this flaw to escalate their privileges to that of an administrator. This escalation grants them full control over the WordPress site, including the ability to modify content, install malicious plugins, access sensitive data, and potentially pivot to other parts of the hosting environment. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, combined with the ease of exploitation since only low-privileged authenticated access is required and no user interaction is needed. Although no known exploits are currently observed in the wild, the vulnerability's nature makes it a prime target for attackers aiming to compromise WordPress sites using this plugin. The lack of a patch at the time of disclosure further increases the risk for affected installations.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant threat, especially for those relying on WordPress sites with the Event List plugin installed. Compromise of administrative privileges can lead to data breaches involving personal data protected under GDPR, resulting in legal and financial penalties. Attackers gaining admin access can deface websites, disrupt services, or implant malware, impacting brand reputation and operational continuity. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe across sectors such as government, education, and commerce, exploitation could affect a broad range of organizations. Additionally, attackers could leverage compromised sites as footholds for further attacks within corporate networks or to launch phishing campaigns targeting European users. The vulnerability's network exploitability and lack of required user interaction increase the likelihood of automated attacks, raising the urgency for European entities to address this risk promptly.

Immediate mitigation steps include disabling or uninstalling the Event List plugin until a secure patch is released. Organizations should audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of this plugin and restrict access to authenticated users with minimal privileges. Implementing strict role-based access controls and monitoring user privilege changes can help detect exploitation attempts. Web application firewalls (WAFs) should be configured to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the el_update_profile() function or unusual privilege escalation patterns. Regular backups of WordPress sites and databases are essential to enable recovery in case of compromise. Organizations should also monitor security advisories from ovatheme.com and WordPress for patches and apply updates promptly once available. Additionally, conducting internal penetration testing focusing on privilege escalation vectors can help identify and remediate similar issues proactively.