CVE-2025-11255: WordPress Password Policy Manager Auth Bypass

CVE-2025-11255 Overview

CVE-2025-11255 affects the Password Policy Manager | Password Manager plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 2.0.5. The vulnerability stems from a missing capability check on the moppm_ajax AJAX endpoint. Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can invoke the endpoint to disconnect the site's integration with miniOrange. The issue is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.

Critical Impact
Any authenticated user with a Subscriber account can log the WordPress site out of its miniOrange connection, disrupting password policy enforcement and password management workflows.

Affected Products

Password Policy Manager | Password Manager plugin for WordPress
All versions up to and including 2.0.5
WordPress sites relying on the plugin's miniOrange integration for password policy enforcement

Discovery Timeline

2025-10-25 - CVE-2025-11255 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-11255

Vulnerability Analysis

The Password Policy Manager plugin exposes an AJAX endpoint named moppm_ajax. WordPress plugins are expected to enforce capability checks on privileged actions through functions such as current_user_can() and to validate request origin using nonces. The moppm_ajax handler omits the capability check, so any authenticated request that passes WordPress authentication reaches the sensitive action logic. As a result, low-privileged roles gain access to functionality intended for administrators.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing authorization control on a privileged administrative action [CWE-862]. The plugin registers the AJAX handler for authenticated users through wp_ajax_moppm_ajax without verifying the caller holds an administrator capability such as manage_options. WordPress treats any logged-in user, including Subscribers, as valid callers for wp_ajax_ hooks unless the developer explicitly checks role or capability. The handler proceeds to execute the miniOrange logout action without further gating.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an authenticated account at the Subscriber tier or higher. Subscriber accounts are commonly available on sites that allow open registration, comment posting, or membership signup. The attacker sends a crafted POST request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=moppm_ajax and parameters that trigger the miniOrange disconnect flow. Successful invocation logs the site out of its miniOrange configuration, breaking password policy enforcement and centralized identity workflows until an administrator re-establishes the connection.

No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report and the WordPress Changeset Update for the vendor fix.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-11255

Indicators of Compromise

POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the parameter action=moppm_ajax originating from non-administrator sessions.
Unexpected disconnection of the WordPress site from miniOrange, visible in the plugin's connection status page.
Sudden failures in password policy enforcement or authentication flows tied to miniOrange integration.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for admin-ajax.php calls containing moppm_ajax and correlate the requesting user ID with role assignments.
Enable WordPress audit logging to record plugin state changes, including modifications to miniOrange connection settings.
Alert on repeated admin-ajax.php invocations from accounts holding only the Subscriber role.

Monitoring Recommendations

Track new user registrations and monitor low-privileged accounts for administrative AJAX activity.
Review the Password Policy Manager plugin version deployed across managed WordPress sites and flag hosts running 2.0.5 or earlier.
Forward WordPress and web server logs into a centralized analytics platform for role-based behavioral analysis.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-11255

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Password Policy Manager | Password Manager plugin to a version above 2.0.5 as published in the vendor changeset.
Audit existing Subscriber and low-privileged accounts and remove any that are unnecessary or suspicious.
Verify the miniOrange connection status after patching and reconfigure if the site was previously disconnected.

Patch Information

The vendor addressed the missing authorization check through a plugin update tracked in the WordPress plugin changeset. Administrators should upgrade through the WordPress plugin dashboard or via WP-CLI. Details on affected versions and remediation are documented in the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

Disable open user registration on the WordPress site to shrink the pool of authenticated attackers.
Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php at the web application firewall by blocking action=moppm_ajax requests from non-administrator sessions.
Temporarily deactivate the Password Policy Manager plugin if patching cannot be applied immediately and the miniOrange integration is not critical.

bash

# Update the plugin using WP-CLI
wp plugin update password-policy-manager

# Verify the installed version
wp plugin get password-policy-manager --field=version

# Optional: disable open registration site-wide
wp option update users_can_register 0