CVE-2025-9542 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the AutomatorWP – Automator plugin for WordPress, a tool designed to enable no-code automations, webhooks, and custom integrations. The vulnerability arises from a missing authorization check (CWE-862) in multiple plugin functions, allowing authenticated users with Subscriber-level privileges or higher to access and modify integration settings and view existing automations without proper permission validation. Since WordPress roles such as Subscriber are typically assigned to low-privilege users, this flaw effectively elevates their capabilities within the plugin context, potentially exposing sensitive automation configurations. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 5.3.7. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.4 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based (remote), requires low attack complexity, and only requires privileges equivalent to a Subscriber role, but does not require user interaction. The impact primarily concerns confidentiality and integrity, as attackers can view and modify automation workflows, which could lead to unauthorized data exposure or manipulation of automated processes. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability was published on September 9, 2025, and assigned by Wordfence. Given the plugin's role in automating workflows, exploitation could disrupt business processes or leak sensitive data integrated via these automations.

For European organizations using WordPress with the AutomatorWP plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized access to automation configurations, potentially exposing sensitive data flows or allowing malicious modification of automated tasks. This could lead to data leakage, unauthorized actions triggered by manipulated automations, or disruption of business-critical workflows. Organizations relying on automated integrations for customer data, internal processes, or third-party services could see confidentiality and integrity compromised. Since the vulnerability requires only Subscriber-level access, an attacker could exploit it by compromising or creating low-privilege accounts, which are often easier to obtain or target via phishing or credential stuffing. This risk is heightened in sectors with strict data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and public services. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as automated workflows often connect to multiple systems, amplifying potential damage.

1. Immediately audit user roles and permissions within WordPress to ensure that Subscriber accounts are tightly controlled and monitored. 2. Restrict account creation and enforce strong authentication policies to reduce the risk of attacker-controlled Subscriber accounts. 3. Until an official patch is released, consider disabling or uninstalling the AutomatorWP plugin if it is not critical to operations. 4. If the plugin is essential, implement compensating controls such as web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the plugin endpoints. 5. Monitor logs for unusual access patterns to automation settings, especially from low-privilege accounts. 6. Educate administrators and users about the risk and encourage immediate application of any future patches once available. 7. Review and limit the scope of automations to minimize sensitive data exposure and potential impact from unauthorized modifications. 8. Consider isolating WordPress instances with this plugin behind additional network segmentation or access controls to reduce exposure.