CVE-2025-53293 Overview
CVE-2025-53293 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] affecting the Dashboard Widget Sidebar WordPress plugin developed by Morten Dalgaard Johansen. The flaw allows authenticated users with low privileges to exploit incorrectly configured access control checks within the plugin. It affects all versions of dashboard-widget-sidebar up to and including 1.2.3. Exploitation requires network access and low-privileged authentication, and produces limited integrity impact without directly compromising confidentiality or availability. WordPress administrators running vulnerable versions should treat this as a broken access control issue in the plugin's administrative endpoints.
Critical Impact
Low-privileged authenticated users can perform actions restricted to higher-privileged roles due to missing capability checks in the plugin.
Affected Products
- Morten Dalgaard Johansen Dashboard Widget Sidebar plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 1.2.3
- WordPress sites with the dashboard-widget-sidebar plugin installed and activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-27 - CVE-2025-53293 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-53293
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks within the Dashboard Widget Sidebar plugin. WordPress plugins typically enforce access control by verifying user capabilities with functions such as current_user_can() and by validating request nonces. When these checks are absent or misconfigured, authenticated users with minimal roles such as Subscriber can invoke plugin functionality intended for administrators. According to the Patchstack advisory, the plugin's handlers do not properly validate that the calling user holds the required capability before executing privileged operations. The result is a broken access control condition that permits limited unauthorized modifications to plugin state.
Root Cause
The root cause is a Missing Authorization weakness classified as [CWE-862]. The plugin exposes action handlers that execute without confirming the requester's role or capability. Any authenticated session, regardless of role, can reach these endpoints and trigger operations that should be restricted to privileged users. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for handler-level details.
Attack Vector
An attacker requires a valid low-privileged WordPress account on the target site. The attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the plugin's exposed administrative endpoints, bypassing the intended role restrictions. Because no user interaction from an administrator is required, the attack is straightforward once authentication is obtained. The impact is scoped to integrity changes within the plugin's controlled data.
No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly linked in the advisory. The vulnerability manifests when plugin action handlers execute privileged operations without a preceding capability check. See the linked Patchstack report for the technical breakdown.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-53293
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to dashboard widget or sidebar configuration performed by non-administrative accounts.
- WordPress access logs showing requests to dashboard-widget-sidebar action endpoints originating from Subscriber or Contributor sessions.
- New or modified plugin settings entries in the wp_options table without corresponding administrator activity.
Detection Strategies
- Inventory WordPress installations for the dashboard-widget-sidebar plugin and flag any version at or below 1.2.3.
- Correlate authenticated web requests against the plugin's admin-ajax or REST endpoints with the acting user's role to identify privilege mismatches.
- Enable WordPress audit logging to record plugin setting changes with associated user identifiers and timestamps.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on HTTP POST requests to plugin endpoints from accounts lacking the manage_options capability.
- Monitor for anomalous account creation or role assignments that could be used as a foothold for exploitation.
- Review web application firewall (WAF) logs for repeated requests to plugin action handlers with varying parameters.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-53293
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites running Dashboard Widget Sidebar version 1.2.3 or earlier.
- Deactivate the plugin until a patched version is confirmed available and applied.
- Audit existing WordPress accounts and remove or downgrade unused low-privileged accounts that could be abused.
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, the advisory records the affected range as "n/a through <= 1.2.3" without a confirmed fixed version. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin's WordPress.org listing for the latest patched release before re-enabling the plugin.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and remove the dashboard-widget-sidebar plugin from vulnerable sites.
- Restrict WordPress dashboard access using network-level controls or IP allowlists for administrative URIs.
- Deploy a WordPress-aware WAF rule that blocks unauthenticated or low-privileged access to plugin action endpoints.
- Enforce least-privilege role assignment and review user accounts with self-registration enabled.
# Disable the vulnerable plugin using WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate dashboard-widget-sidebar
wp plugin delete dashboard-widget-sidebar
# List remaining active plugins to confirm removal
wp plugin list --status=active
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.