CVE-2025-3101: WordPress Configurator Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-3101 Overview

CVE-2025-3101 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Configurator Theme Core plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 1.4.7. The plugin fails to validate user meta fields before writing them to the database. Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or above can modify their own user meta to assign the administrator role. Successful exploitation grants full control over the affected WordPress site, including content, users, themes, and plugins. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.

Critical Impact
Any authenticated user, including low-privileged Subscribers, can escalate to Administrator and take complete control of the WordPress site.

Affected Products

Configurator Theme Core plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.4.7
WordPress sites using the Configurator WooCommerce theme bundle
All hosting environments running the vulnerable plugin version

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-24 - CVE-2025-3101 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-3101

Vulnerability Analysis

The Configurator Theme Core plugin exposes functionality that updates WordPress user meta values based on user-supplied input. The plugin does not restrict which meta keys an authenticated user can modify. WordPress stores role assignments in the wp_capabilities user meta field. When a plugin allows arbitrary writes to user meta, an attacker can overwrite wp_capabilities to grant themselves the administrator role. The vulnerability requires only Subscriber-level authentication, which is the lowest authenticated role and is often granted automatically when registration is enabled. Once promoted to Administrator, the attacker can install malicious plugins, modify theme files, create additional admin accounts, and execute arbitrary PHP on the server.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing authorization and missing input validation on user meta update handlers. The plugin accepts a meta key and meta value from the request without verifying that the key is on an allow-list of safe fields. There is no capability check restricting role-related meta keys to administrators. This is a classic CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management defect.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is performed over the network against the WordPress site. The attacker first authenticates as a Subscriber, then sends a crafted request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint that updates user meta. By submitting wp_capabilities as the meta key with a serialized value granting the administrator role, the attacker gains full administrative access. No social engineering or user interaction is required after the initial account creation. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-3101

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected user accounts with the administrator role, particularly those promoted from Subscriber within a short time window
Modifications to the wp_capabilities or wp_user_level meta values in the wp_usermeta table for non-admin users
New plugin or theme installations performed by recently created or recently elevated user accounts
Outbound requests to unknown domains originating from PHP processes following an admin promotion event

Detection Strategies

Query the wp_usermeta table for rows where meta_key = 'wp_capabilities' and the serialized value contains administrator for users not previously authorized as admins
Monitor WordPress audit logs for update_user_meta and set_role events triggered by non-admin sessions
Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to Configurator Theme Core plugin endpoints from Subscriber-level sessions
Correlate registration events with subsequent role changes occurring in the same session or IP

Monitoring Recommendations

Deploy a WordPress audit logging plugin that records user role changes and meta updates in real time
Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and correlation
Alert on any role escalation event where the source user previously held a Subscriber, Contributor, or Author role
Periodically enumerate administrator accounts and compare against an approved baseline

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-3101

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Configurator Theme Core plugin to a version newer than 1.4.7 as soon as a patched release is available from the vendor
Audit all WordPress user accounts and remove any unauthorized administrators
Reset passwords and rotate application keys, including those defined in wp-config.php, after confirming the site is clean
Disable open user registration until the plugin is patched if the site does not require it

Patch Information

No fixed version is identified in the published CVE record at the time of writing. Site owners should monitor the ThemeForest Product Page and the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for vendor updates and apply the patch immediately upon release.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the Configurator Theme Core plugin until a patched version is released
Disable new user registration by unchecking Anyone can register under Settings, General in the WordPress admin
Restrict access to wp-admin and admin-ajax.php using web application firewall rules that block requests from unauthenticated or low-privileged users to plugin endpoints
Set the default role for new registrations to a custom role with no meaningful capabilities until the patch is applied

bash

# Disable open registration via WP-CLI as a temporary workaround
wp option update users_can_register 0

# List administrator accounts to audit for unauthorized escalation
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,user_registered

# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin until a patch is available
wp plugin deactivate configurator-theme-core