Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has disclosed a critical vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-3918, that impacts the Job Listings plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability primarily affects versions 0.1 to 0.1.1 of the plugin, and carries a CVSS severity score of 9.8, signifying its high-risk nature. The vulnerability could potentially allow unauthenticated attackers to escalate their privileges to an administrator level, which could lead to system compromise and data leakage. This vulnerability is a significant concern for businesses and individuals that use the affected plugin, as it could allow cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information and control over affected systems.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-3918
Severity: Critical (9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System Compromise and Data Leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Job Listings for WordPress | 0.1 to 0.1.1
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from a flaw within the register_action() function of the Job Listings plugin. The function reads the client-supplied $_POST[‘user_role’] and passes it directly to wp_insert_user() without any restrictions to a safe set of roles. This improper authorization allows an attacker to manipulate the user role value to elevate their privileges from an unauthenticated user to an administrator. The elevated privileges can then be used to perform malicious activities such as altering site content, installing malicious plugins, or stealing sensitive information.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of a HTTP POST request an attacker might send to exploit this vulnerability:
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=register HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
user_login=attacker&user_email=attacker@example.com&user_role=administratorIn this example, the attacker is attempting to register a new account with administrator privileges. If successful, the attacker would have full control over the WordPress site.
Mitigation Guidance
Users of the affected plugin are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible. If unable to do so immediately, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. These tools can help detect and prevent attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, it’s also recommended to regularly update all software and plugins to their latest versions to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.