CVE-2025-12782: Beaver Builder Authorization Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-12782 Overview

CVE-2025-12782 is an authorization bypass vulnerability in the Beaver Builder – WordPress Page Builder plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.9.4. The plugin's disable() function fails to verify user authorization before allowing the disable action. Authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher can disable the Beaver Builder layout on arbitrary posts and pages. Exploitation results in content integrity issues and layout disruption across affected WordPress sites. The vulnerability maps to [CWE-862] Missing Authorization.

Critical Impact
Contributor-level attackers can disable Beaver Builder layouts on any post or page, causing site-wide content and layout disruption.

Affected Products

Fastlinemedia Beaver Builder Lite for WordPress, all versions up to and including 2.9.4
Fastlinemedia Beaver Builder – WordPress Page Builder plugin
WordPress sites running Beaver Builder with Contributor or higher user accounts enabled

Discovery Timeline

2025-12-04 - CVE-2025-12782 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-12782

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the disable() function of the Beaver Builder plugin. The function processes requests to disable the Beaver Builder layout on a given post or page. It does not confirm that the requesting user has the capability to edit the targeted content.

An authenticated user with Contributor privileges can invoke the function against posts they do not own. The plugin honors the request and disables the layout on the target post. The result is broken page rendering and loss of design integrity on affected pages.

This is an integrity-focused issue rather than a data confidentiality or availability failure. However, on WordPress sites where Beaver Builder controls the front-end presentation, disabling layouts can effectively render pages unusable to visitors.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing capability check in the disable() function [CWE-862]. WordPress plugins typically enforce authorization using current_user_can() checks against capabilities such as edit_post. The vulnerable code path executes the disable logic without validating the caller's permission against the target post. Nonce verification alone, if present, does not restrict which posts a legitimate contributor can modify.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an authenticated session with Contributor role or above. The attacker sends a crafted request to the plugin endpoint that triggers disable() and supplies a target post identifier. Because no per-post capability check runs, the request succeeds against posts the attacker does not own. The attack vector is network-based and requires no user interaction. No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed in Exploit-DB, and the CVE is not tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-12782

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected disabling of Beaver Builder layouts on posts or pages that were previously rendered with the builder
Requests to Beaver Builder AJAX or REST endpoints invoking the disable action from Contributor-level accounts
Sudden increases in editorial complaints about broken page layouts across multiple authors' content

Detection Strategies

Review WordPress audit logs for disable() invocations tied to user IDs that do not own the target post
Correlate HTTP request logs for POST traffic to Beaver Builder endpoints originating from low-privilege user sessions
Monitor changes to post meta values that Beaver Builder uses to track enabled or disabled layout state

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to capture editor and contributor actions against posts they do not author
Alert on Beaver Builder configuration changes performed by non-administrator accounts
Track version strings of the Beaver Builder plugin across managed WordPress sites and flag deployments still on 2.9.4 or earlier

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-12782

Immediate Actions Required

Update Beaver Builder to the version released after 2.9.4 that includes the authorization fix referenced in the WordPress plugin changeset 3406987
Audit all Contributor, Author, and Editor accounts for legitimacy and remove unused accounts
Review recent post revisions for unauthorized layout state changes and restore affected content

Patch Information

Fastlinemedia addressed the missing authorization check in the Beaver Builder Lite plugin through the changeset published at WordPress Plugin Trac 3406987. Site administrators should upgrade to the fixed release available through the WordPress plugin repository.

Workarounds

Temporarily restrict Contributor and Author roles from accessing the Beaver Builder editor using a role management plugin
Place the WordPress admin area behind additional access controls such as IP allowlisting until the patch is applied
Disable the Beaver Builder plugin on high-value sites where Contributor-level accounts are actively used until the update is deployed

bash

# Configuration example: verify installed Beaver Builder version via WP-CLI
wp plugin get beaver-builder-lite-version --field=version
wp plugin update beaver-builder-lite-version