CVE-2025-66159 identifies a missing authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) in the merkulove Walker for Elementor plugin, which is a popular add-on for the Elementor page builder on WordPress. The vulnerability arises from incorrectly configured access control mechanisms that fail to properly verify whether a user has the necessary permissions to perform certain actions within the plugin. This flaw allows an attacker with limited privileges (PR:L) to execute unauthorized operations that can affect the integrity and availability of the website content managed by the plugin. The vulnerability does not require user interaction (UI:N) and can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N), increasing its risk profile. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.4 reflects a medium severity level, primarily due to the limited privileges required and the potential impact on integrity and availability, but no confidentiality loss. Affected versions include all releases up to 1.1.6. As of the published date, no patches or known exploits have been reported, but the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and should be addressed promptly. The root cause is an access control misconfiguration, which is a common security weakness that can lead to unauthorized changes or disruptions in web applications. Organizations using this plugin should audit their user roles and permissions, restrict access to trusted users, and monitor for anomalous activities. Once a patch is available, timely application is critical to prevent exploitation.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-66159 can be significant, especially for those relying on WordPress sites built with Elementor and the merkulove Walker plugin. The vulnerability allows attackers with limited privileges to bypass authorization controls, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications of website content or disruption of site availability. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to loss of customer trust, and cause operational downtime. Since the vulnerability affects integrity and availability but not confidentiality, data leakage risk is low; however, defacement or denial of service could occur. Organizations in sectors such as e-commerce, media, and government that depend heavily on their web presence are particularly at risk. The remote exploitability and lack of user interaction requirement increase the threat's practicality. Without immediate mitigation, attackers could leverage this flaw to escalate privileges or disrupt services, impacting business continuity and compliance with European data protection regulations if service disruptions affect personal data processing.

To mitigate CVE-2025-66159, European organizations should: 1) Immediately review and tighten access control policies within WordPress and the merkulove Walker plugin, ensuring that only trusted users have privileges that could be exploited. 2) Limit the number of users with editor or administrator roles and enforce the principle of least privilege. 3) Monitor logs and user activities for unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Disable or remove the merkulove Walker plugin if it is not essential to reduce attack surface. 5) Stay alert for official patches or updates from the vendor and apply them promptly once released. 6) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the plugin endpoints. 7) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on access control mechanisms. 8) Educate site administrators about the risks of improper permission configurations and best practices for secure plugin management. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control hygiene, proactive monitoring, and minimizing exposure until a patch is available.