CVE-2025-69348 identifies a missing authorization vulnerability in CoolHappy's The Events Calendar Countdown Addon, a plugin used to display countdown timers for events in WordPress environments. The vulnerability stems from improperly configured access control mechanisms that fail to adequately restrict certain operations to authorized users. Specifically, users with limited privileges (PR:L) can exploit this flaw remotely (AV:N) without requiring any user interaction (UI:N). The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.4.15. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4, indicating a medium severity level, with impacts primarily on confidentiality and integrity, but no direct impact on availability. The flaw allows unauthorized users to access or modify event countdown data or related sensitive information, potentially leading to data leakage or manipulation of event details. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches have been released as of the publication date. The issue highlights a common security oversight in plugin development where access control checks are either missing or incorrectly implemented, allowing privilege escalation or unauthorized access. Organizations using this addon should be aware that attackers with some level of authenticated access could leverage this vulnerability to compromise event-related data integrity and confidentiality.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-69348 can be significant in sectors relying heavily on event management and public-facing websites, such as cultural institutions, conference organizers, and marketing agencies. Unauthorized access to event countdown data could lead to misinformation, manipulation of event timings, or exposure of sensitive event details, potentially damaging organizational reputation and trust. While the vulnerability does not directly affect system availability, the integrity and confidentiality breaches could disrupt business operations and customer relations. Given the widespread use of WordPress and its plugins in Europe, especially in countries with large digital economies and active event sectors, the risk of exploitation could lead to targeted attacks aiming to undermine event credibility or leak sensitive information. The requirement for some privilege level reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with multiple users or weak internal access controls.

To mitigate CVE-2025-69348, organizations should immediately audit user roles and permissions associated with The Events Calendar Countdown Addon, ensuring that only trusted and necessary users have access to its functionalities. Implement strict access control policies and verify that the addon’s operations are restricted to authorized roles only. Monitor logs for unusual access patterns or unauthorized attempts to modify event countdown data. Since no official patch is available, consider temporarily disabling the addon or replacing it with alternative plugins that have verified secure access controls. Engage with the vendor CoolHappy to obtain updates or patches as they become available. Additionally, applying the principle of least privilege across the WordPress environment and regularly reviewing plugin security configurations will reduce the risk of exploitation. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the addon endpoints. Finally, educate administrators and users about the risks of privilege misuse and enforce strong authentication mechanisms to limit unauthorized access.