CVE-2025-9984 is a security vulnerability identified in the Featured Image from URL (FIFU) plugin for WordPress, developed by marceljm. The vulnerability arises from a missing authorization check in the function fifu_api_debug_posts(), present in all versions up to and including 5.2.7. Specifically, this function lacks a capability check to verify whether the requesting user has the appropriate permissions to access certain content. As a result, unauthenticated attackers can exploit this flaw to read private or password-protected posts on affected WordPress sites. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating that the system fails to enforce proper access control. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and limited confidentiality impact (C:L), with no impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass intended content restrictions, potentially exposing sensitive or confidential information stored in private or password-protected posts on WordPress sites using the vulnerable plugin versions.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily related to confidentiality breaches. Organizations using WordPress with the FIFU plugin may inadvertently expose sensitive internal communications, proprietary information, or personal data protected by private or password-protected posts. This could lead to data leakage incidents, undermining compliance with the EU's GDPR regulations, which mandate strict controls over personal data access and disclosure. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, unauthorized disclosure of confidential content can damage organizational reputation, result in regulatory fines, and erode customer trust. The ease of exploitation (no authentication or user interaction required) increases the likelihood of opportunistic scanning and data harvesting by attackers. However, the impact is somewhat limited by the scope of affected content (private posts only) and the requirement that the vulnerable plugin is installed and active. Organizations that rely heavily on WordPress for internal communications or sensitive content management are at higher risk.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Immediately audit WordPress installations to identify the presence and version of the Featured Image from URL (FIFU) plugin. 2) Disable or remove the FIFU plugin if it is not essential to business operations. 3) Monitor for updates or security patches from the plugin developer or WordPress repository and apply them promptly once available. 4) Implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the fifu_api_debug_posts() endpoint. 5) Restrict access to WordPress administrative and API endpoints via IP whitelisting or VPNs where feasible. 6) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on plugin vulnerabilities and access control enforcement. 7) Educate content managers to avoid storing highly sensitive information in private posts unless necessary and consider additional encryption or access controls. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on plugin-specific detection, access restriction, and compensating controls until an official patch is released.