CVE-2025-39405 Overview
CVE-2025-39405 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the mojoomla WPAMS (WordPress Apartment Management System) plugin. The flaw stems from incorrect privilege assignment [CWE-266] and affects all versions up to and including 44.0 (released 17-08-2023). An authenticated attacker with low-level WordPress access can elevate privileges to gain administrative control over the affected site. The vulnerability requires network access and low privileges with no user interaction, making exploitation straightforward for any user who can authenticate to a vulnerable WordPress instance running WPAMS.
Critical Impact
An authenticated low-privilege user can escalate to administrator, leading to full compromise of the WordPress site including data theft, content manipulation, and arbitrary plugin or theme installation.
Affected Products
- mojoomla WPAMS (WordPress Apartment Management System) plugin
- All versions from n/a through 44.0 (17-08-2023)
- WordPress installations using the apartment-management plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-19 - CVE-2025-39405 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-39405
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the WPAMS plugin's privilege handling logic. The plugin assigns elevated capabilities to users without properly validating the requester's existing role or authorization context. This permits authenticated users with minimal privileges, such as subscribers, to acquire capabilities reserved for administrators.
Once an attacker obtains administrative capabilities, they gain full control over the WordPress installation. This includes managing users, modifying content, installing arbitrary plugins, and executing PHP code through the WordPress backend. The result is full site compromise from a single low-privilege foothold.
Root Cause
The root cause is classified as [CWE-266] Incorrect Privilege Assignment. The plugin grants privileges through code paths that do not enforce proper role checks. Authorization decisions rely on user-supplied input or trust assumptions that an authenticated user cannot manipulate role assignments. Without server-side capability validation through current_user_can() checks tied to the target capability, the plugin elevates the requesting user beyond their assigned role.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires an attacker to hold a valid WordPress account on the target site, even at the lowest subscriber tier. The attacker sends a crafted request to a vulnerable WPAMS endpoint that performs privilege assignment without proper authorization checks. Because the attack travels over the network and requires no user interaction, an attacker who obtains or registers any account can carry out the escalation.
The vulnerability mechanism is described in the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Notice. No public proof-of-concept exploit code is currently available.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-39405
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to the wp_usermeta table, particularly modifications to the wp_capabilities field for non-administrative accounts.
- New administrator accounts created shortly after low-privilege user authentication events.
- Unusual POST requests to WPAMS plugin endpoints under /wp-content/plugins/apartment-management/ originating from subscriber or contributor accounts.
- Installation of unfamiliar plugins or themes following suspicious user role changes.
Detection Strategies
- Audit WordPress user roles and capabilities regularly using wp user list --role=administrator via WP-CLI to identify unauthorized administrators.
- Review web server access logs for requests to WPAMS plugin URLs paired with authenticated session cookies from low-privilege accounts.
- Monitor database write activity targeting wp_users and wp_usermeta tables outside of normal administrative workflows.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to track role changes, plugin installations, and administrative actions in real time.
- Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation across user sessions and privilege changes.
- Alert on any role elevation event where the source user holds a non-administrative role at the time of the request.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-39405
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the WPAMS plugin from all WordPress installations until a vendor-supplied patch is verified.
- Audit all existing user accounts and remove any unauthorized administrator accounts or unexpected role elevations.
- Force a password reset for all WordPress users and rotate any API keys or application passwords issued by the affected site.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no fixed version has been identified beyond WPAMS 44.0 (17-08-2023). Consult the Patchstack advisory for the latest remediation status from the vendor.
Workarounds
- Disable user registration in WordPress settings to reduce the population of authenticated attackers who can exploit the flaw.
- Restrict access to WPAMS plugin endpoints using web application firewall (WAF) rules that block requests from non-administrative sessions.
- Apply principle-of-least-privilege controls by removing the WPAMS plugin's required capabilities from non-essential user roles.
# Configuration example: disable WordPress self-registration
wp option update users_can_register 0
# List all administrator accounts to identify unauthorized elevations
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,user_registered
# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate apartment-management
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
