CVE-2025-11620 Overview
CVE-2025-11620 affects the Multiple Roles per User plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 1.0. The plugin fails to perform capability checks on the mrpu_add_multiple_roles_ui and mrpu_save_multiple_user_roles functions. Authenticated attackers with the edit_users capability can modify any user's role assignments. This includes promoting arbitrary accounts to Administrator and demoting existing Administrators to lower-privileged roles. The flaw maps to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization and stems from broken access control in the plugin's role management workflow.
Critical Impact
An attacker with edit_users privileges can escalate to Administrator on the WordPress site, leading to full site takeover.
Affected Products
- Multiple Roles per User plugin for WordPress — all versions up to and including 1.0
- WordPress sites using the affected plugin with users holding the edit_users capability
- Self-hosted WordPress deployments that have installed the plugin from the WordPress.org repository
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-11-18 - CVE-2025-11620 published to NVD
- 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-11620
Vulnerability Analysis
The Multiple Roles per User plugin exposes two server-side handlers, mrpu_add_multiple_roles_ui and mrpu_save_multiple_user_roles, that manage the assignment of multiple WordPress roles to a single user account. Neither function verifies that the calling user holds the promote_users capability that WordPress core requires for role modification. The plugin relies only on the broader edit_users capability granted by the WordPress admin context. This allows any authenticated user with edit_users to call the save function and rewrite role membership for any account on the site, including the site's owning Administrator.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing capability check [CWE-862] on privileged role-mutation endpoints. The plugin authors did not gate mrpu_save_multiple_user_roles with a current_user_can('promote_users') or equivalent check, and did not validate that the target user's role hierarchy exceeds the actor's. WordPress core normally enforces this separation, but the plugin's custom save handler bypasses that logic entirely.
Attack Vector
An authenticated attacker holding edit_users, for example a custom role created by a site administrator for user-management staff, submits a crafted request to the plugin's role-save handler. The request targets a chosen user ID and supplies a role array containing administrator. The handler writes the role change directly. The attacker then logs in or re-authenticates with the elevated role and gains full control of the WordPress installation. See the Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis and the WordPress Plugin Code Overview for the vulnerable handler locations.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-11620
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected administrator role assignments in the wp_usermeta table, particularly for users that previously held lower-privileged roles.
- POST requests to admin.php, admin-ajax.php, or admin-post.php referencing the mrpu_save_multiple_user_roles action from non-administrator session cookies.
- Existing Administrator accounts demoted to subscriber, editor, or contributor roles without a corresponding admin audit log entry.
- New or modified entries in WordPress option wp_user_roles tied to plugin activity windows.
Detection Strategies
- Query wp_usermeta for rows where meta_key = 'wp_capabilities' and review recent modifications against expected administrator change tickets.
- Inspect web server access logs for authenticated requests invoking mrpu_add_multiple_roles_ui or mrpu_save_multiple_user_roles from accounts that should not manage roles.
- Correlate WordPress login events with role-change timestamps to identify accounts that gained Administrator after a role-save request.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress audit logging plugin to record all role and capability changes with actor, target, and timestamp.
- Alert on any addition of a user to the administrator role outside of approved change windows.
- Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM and create detections for the plugin's action names.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-11620
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the Multiple Roles per User plugin until a patched release is published.
- Audit all accounts holding the edit_users capability and revoke it where not strictly required.
- Review the administrator role membership and remove any accounts that were not provisioned through approved processes.
- Force password resets and session invalidation for all administrative accounts on the affected site.
Patch Information
No fixed version is listed in the available advisory data. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.0. Monitor the Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis entry and the plugin's WordPress.org page for an updated release that adds capability checks to mrpu_add_multiple_roles_ui and mrpu_save_multiple_user_roles.
Workarounds
- Restrict the edit_users capability to trusted Administrator accounts only, since the exploit requires this capability.
- Place the WordPress admin area behind an IP allowlist or authentication proxy to limit who can reach the vulnerable endpoints.
- Use a web application firewall rule to block POST requests containing the mrpu_save_multiple_user_roles action from non-administrator sessions until the plugin is patched or removed.
# Configuration example
# Disable the plugin via WP-CLI until a fix is released
wp plugin deactivate multiple-roles-per-user
wp plugin delete multiple-roles-per-user
# List users currently holding the edit_users capability for review
wp user list --role=editor --fields=ID,user_login,roles
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_registered
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
