CVE-2025-69352: The Events Calendar Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2025-69352 Overview

A Missing Authorization vulnerability has been identified in StellarWP's The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress. This security flaw allows attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized actions within the affected WordPress installations.

Critical Impact

Authenticated users with low privileges can bypass access controls to read or modify data they should not have access to, compromising the integrity and confidentiality of event management data.

Affected Products

• The Events Calendar WordPress plugin versions through 6.15.12.2
• WordPress installations running vulnerable versions of The Events Calendar
• Sites utilizing StellarWP The Events Calendar for event management

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-06 - CVE CVE-2025-69352 published to NVD
• 2026-01-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-69352

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating that the affected plugin fails to properly verify that a user is authorized to perform certain actions before allowing those actions to proceed. The flaw allows authenticated attackers with minimal privileges to access functionality or data that should be restricted to higher-privileged users.

The vulnerability requires network access and authenticated user credentials to exploit. While no user interaction is required for exploitation, the attacker must have at least low-level privileges on the target WordPress site. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized information disclosure and data modification within the plugin's scope.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the plugin's failure to implement proper authorization checks on certain endpoints or functions. The Events Calendar plugin does not adequately validate whether the authenticated user has the appropriate permissions before allowing access to protected resources or functionality. This broken access control allows users to perform actions beyond their intended privilege level.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring an authenticated attacker to send crafted requests to the vulnerable WordPress installation. The attacker exploits the missing authorization checks to access or modify event data, settings, or other protected resources within The Events Calendar plugin.

The vulnerability can be exploited by any authenticated user, even those with the lowest privilege level (such as Subscriber role in WordPress). The attacker would craft HTTP requests targeting specific plugin endpoints that lack proper authorization validation, allowing them to bypass the intended access control restrictions.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-69352

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modifications to event data or calendar settings by low-privileged users
• Unusual access patterns to The Events Calendar admin endpoints from non-administrator accounts
• Audit log entries showing unauthorized actions performed by users with insufficient privileges
• Suspicious POST or GET requests to plugin-specific REST API endpoints from subscriber-level accounts

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress authentication logs for unusual activity patterns from low-privileged user accounts
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious requests to The Events Calendar endpoints
• Review access logs for requests to admin-only plugin functionality from non-administrator IP addresses
• Enable detailed logging for The Events Calendar plugin actions to track unauthorized access attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure WordPress security plugins to alert on privilege escalation attempts
• Set up file integrity monitoring for The Events Calendar plugin files
• Implement user behavior analytics to detect anomalous access patterns
• Regularly audit user roles and permissions on WordPress installations running the affected plugin

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-69352

Immediate Actions Required

• Update The Events Calendar plugin to a version newer than 6.15.12.2 when a patch becomes available
• Review and restrict user roles on WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin
• Audit recent user activity for any signs of unauthorized access or modifications
• Consider temporarily disabling The Events Calendar plugin on high-risk sites until a patch is applied

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack vulnerability database for the latest patch information and remediation guidance from the vendor. Monitor StellarWP's official channels for security updates to The Events Calendar plugin.

Workarounds

• Restrict user registration on affected WordPress sites to limit potential attack surface
• Implement additional access control measures through WordPress security plugins
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter suspicious requests to the plugin
• Review and remove unnecessary user accounts, particularly those with subscriber or contributor roles

# WordPress CLI commands to audit user roles
wp user list --role=subscriber --fields=ID,user_login,user_email
wp user list --role=contributor --fields=ID,user_login,user_email

# Check current plugin version
wp plugin list --name=the-events-calendar --fields=name,status,version

# Disable plugin temporarily if needed
wp plugin deactivate the-events-calendar