CVE-2025-54735 Overview
CVE-2025-54735 is an Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability [CWE-266] in the CubeWP cubewp-framework WordPress plugin developed by Imran Tauqeer. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 1.1.24. An authenticated attacker with low-level privileges can escalate to a higher-privileged role on the WordPress site. Successful exploitation results in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected site.
Critical Impact
Authenticated low-privilege users can elevate their account to an administrative role, gaining complete control of the WordPress installation.
Affected Products
- CubeWP cubewp-framework plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 1.1.24
- WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin installed and activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-08-20 - CVE-2025-54735 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-54735
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is classified as Incorrect Privilege Assignment [CWE-266], a category of Privilege Escalation flaws. The cubewp-framework plugin assigns user capabilities or roles without enforcing proper authorization checks. An authenticated user with minimal privileges, such as a subscriber, can trigger a code path that grants elevated capabilities to their own account.
The attack requires no user interaction and can be conducted remotely over the network. Because WordPress sites commonly allow open user registration, attackers can self-provision a low-privilege account before exploiting the flaw. Once elevated, an attacker can install plugins, modify content, exfiltrate data, or pivot to the underlying host.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing or insufficient capability check in plugin logic that handles user role or metadata assignment. The plugin trusts user-supplied data or fails to verify that the calling user has authority to modify role assignments. This breaks the WordPress capability model, which expects role changes to be gated by the edit_users or promote_users capabilities.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network against a WordPress site running the vulnerable plugin. The attacker authenticates with any valid account, then issues a crafted request to a plugin endpoint that performs privilege assignment. The endpoint applies the requested role or capability without verifying that the requester is authorized to do so. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for cubewp-framework for technical details on the affected code path.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54735
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to the wp_usermeta table, particularly the wp_capabilities field for non-administrative accounts
- New or recently registered accounts that hold the administrator or editor role
- Plugin, theme, or core file modifications performed by accounts that were previously low-privilege
- HTTP POST requests to cubewp-framework AJAX or REST endpoints originating from subscriber-level sessions
Detection Strategies
- Audit the WordPress user database for role changes that do not correspond to legitimate administrative activity
- Inspect web server access logs for repeated requests to plugin endpoints followed by privileged actions
- Compare current user capabilities against a known-good baseline and flag deviations
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging for WordPress role and capability changes using an audit logging plugin
- Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation
- Alert on creation of administrator accounts outside of approved change windows
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54735
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress instances running the CubeWP cubewp-framework plugin at version 1.1.24 or earlier
- Update the plugin to a fixed version once released by the vendor, or deactivate and remove it until a patch is available
- Review all user accounts for unauthorized role escalations and revoke privileges on suspicious accounts
- Rotate credentials for administrative accounts and force password resets for all users if compromise is suspected
Patch Information
A fixed release addressing CVE-2025-54735 is tracked through the Patchstack vulnerability database entry for cubewp-framework. Administrators should upgrade to any plugin version higher than 1.1.24 that explicitly references this CVE in its changelog. Confirm the patched version before re-enabling the plugin in production.
Workarounds
- Disable open user registration in WordPress settings to prevent attackers from creating the low-privilege accounts required for exploitation
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and plugin REST routes using a web application firewall rule set
- Deactivate the cubewp-framework plugin until a verified patch is installed
# Disable open registration via wp-cli as a temporary mitigation
wp option update users_can_register 0
# List installed plugin version to confirm exposure
wp plugin get cubewp-framework --field=version
# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate cubewp-framework
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
