CVE-2025-57987: WP Events Manager Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-57987 Overview

CVE-2025-57987 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the ThimPress WP Events Manager plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects wp-events-manager versions up to and including 2.2.1. Attackers can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to reach functionality that should require authentication or elevated privileges. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without user interaction and without prior authentication. Successful exploitation can lead to limited integrity impact on affected WordPress sites running vulnerable versions of the plugin.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can invoke plugin actions that lack proper authorization checks, enabling modification of data restricted to privileged users on WordPress sites running WP Events Manager <= 2.2.1.

Affected Products

ThimPress WP Events Manager plugin for WordPress
WP Events Manager versions up to and including 2.2.1
WordPress sites with the wp-events-manager plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-22 - CVE-2025-57987 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-57987

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a Broken Access Control issue classified under [CWE-862] Missing Authorization. The WP Events Manager plugin exposes one or more actions or endpoints without verifying that the requesting user has the correct capability or role. As a result, network-based attackers can reach protected functionality without authenticating.

The issue is scored as MEDIUM severity, reflecting network exploitability, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction. Impact is limited to integrity, meaning attackers can alter data exposed by the vulnerable endpoints but cannot directly read confidential data or crash the site through this flaw alone.

The EPSS score is 0.258% (percentile 17.348), indicating a low probability of near-term exploitation in the wild. However, WordPress plugin authorization flaws are frequently weaponized once technical details become public.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrectly configured authorization checks within plugin handlers. WordPress plugins typically enforce authorization using current_user_can() capability checks and check_ajax_referer() or wp_verify_nonce() for request validation. When these checks are absent or applied to the wrong action, unauthenticated requests reach privileged code paths.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to WordPress endpoints registered by the WP Events Manager plugin. Because authorization is not enforced, the plugin processes the request as if it originated from an authorized user. The attack requires only network reachability to the target WordPress site. No authentication, credentials, or user interaction are needed. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57987

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected modifications to event records, registrations, or plugin-managed data in the WordPress database
HTTP requests to admin-ajax.php or plugin REST routes referencing WP Events Manager actions from unauthenticated sessions
New or altered event entries with no corresponding administrator activity in WordPress audit logs

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for anomalous POST or GET requests targeting wp-events-manager action names, especially without a valid wordpress_logged_in cookie
Correlate WordPress audit logs with authenticated sessions to identify state changes performed by unauthenticated clients
Deploy WordPress-aware Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that alert on plugin actions invoked without an authenticated session

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and REST API endpoints exposed by installed plugins
Monitor plugin version inventory across WordPress deployments and flag installations of wp-events-manager at version <= 2.2.1
Track outbound traffic and file changes on WordPress hosts to detect post-exploitation activity such as backdoor uploads

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57987

Immediate Actions Required

Update the ThimPress WP Events Manager plugin to a version later than 2.2.1 once a fixed release is available from the vendor
If no patched version is available, deactivate and remove the wp-events-manager plugin until a fix is released
Review recent changes to event data and plugin-managed content for signs of unauthorized modification

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest patch status and vendor advisory information. Administrators should confirm remediation by verifying the installed plugin version through the WordPress admin interface after updating.

Workarounds

Restrict access to WordPress administrative and AJAX endpoints using a WAF or reverse proxy allowlist while awaiting a vendor patch
Apply virtual patching rules that block unauthenticated requests to plugin-specific action parameters associated with WP Events Manager
Enforce least privilege on WordPress user accounts and remove unused administrator sessions to limit downstream impact

bash

# Configuration example: temporarily disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate wp-events-manager
wp plugin delete wp-events-manager