CVE-2025-8401 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the HT Mega – Absolute Addons For Elementor WordPress plugin developed by devitemsllc. The vulnerability arises from improper authorization (CWE-285) in the 'get_post_data' function, which is present in all versions up to and including 2.9.1. This flaw allows authenticated users with Author-level privileges or higher to access sensitive information that should normally be restricted. Specifically, attackers can extract the content of private, password-protected, and draft posts and pages without proper authorization checks. The vulnerability does not require user interaction and can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L). Although the attacker must have at least Author-level privileges (PR:L), which is a moderately privileged role in WordPress, the exposure of sensitive content can lead to confidentiality breaches. The vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a medium severity level primarily due to the confidentiality impact and the required privileges for exploitation. This vulnerability highlights a failure in enforcing proper authorization checks within the plugin's code, allowing privilege escalation in terms of data access within the WordPress content management system.

For European organizations using WordPress websites with the HT Mega – Absolute Addons For Elementor plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk of sensitive content leakage. Organizations that rely on WordPress for internal communications, confidential publishing, or client data management could have private or draft content exposed to unauthorized internal users with Author-level access. This could lead to information disclosure incidents, reputational damage, and potential compliance violations under regulations such as GDPR, which mandates protection of personal and sensitive data. Although the vulnerability does not allow external unauthenticated attackers to exploit it, the risk remains significant in environments where multiple users have elevated privileges or where accounts may be compromised. The exposure of draft or private content could also aid attackers in gathering intelligence for further attacks or social engineering. Given the widespread use of WordPress across European businesses, including SMEs and large enterprises, the impact could be broad, especially in sectors handling sensitive information such as finance, healthcare, and government.

European organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of the HT Mega – Absolute Addons For Elementor plugin and verify the version in use. Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict Author-level privileges strictly to trusted users and review user roles to minimize unnecessary elevated access. 2) Implement additional access controls at the WordPress level or via security plugins to monitor and restrict access to private and draft content. 3) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the 'get_post_data' function or related plugin endpoints. 4) Monitor logs for unusual access patterns by Author-level users, especially attempts to access private or draft content. 5) Educate administrators and content managers about the risk and encourage prompt reporting of suspicious activity. Once a patch is available, prioritize timely updates of the plugin. Additionally, consider isolating sensitive content or using alternative plugins with stronger authorization controls if immediate patching is not feasible.