{"id":25959,"date":"2025-04-17T22:03:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T22:03:28","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-07-07T05:19:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T11:19:09","slug":"cve-2025-3417-unauthorized-data-modification-and-privilege-escalation-in-wordpress-embedder-plugin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-3417-unauthorized-data-modification-and-privilege-escalation-in-wordpress-embedder-plugin\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-3417: Unauthorized Data Modification and Privilege Escalation in WordPress Embedder Plugin<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the digital world, vulnerabilities in software are a common occurrence, capable of putting vast amounts of data at risk. The CVE-2025-3417 is a critical security vulnerability that affects the Embedder plugin for WordPress, a widely-used platform for creating websites. This vulnerability allows an attacker with only Subscriber-level access or above to modify arbitrary options on the WordPress<\/a> site, potentially granting themselves administrative user access. Due to the prevalence of WordPress and the severity of this vulnerability<\/a>, it’s crucial for businesses and individuals using the affected plugin to understand the risks and apply the necessary patch.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-3417
\nSeverity: High (8.8 CVSS score)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: Low (Subscriber-level access)
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Unauthorized modification of data<\/a>, potential system compromise and data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

WordPress Embedder Plugin<\/a> | 1.3 to 1.3.5<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The exploit relies on the ajax_set_global_option() function in the Embedder plugin, which lacks a proper capability check. This oversight allows authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access to update arbitrary options on the WordPress<\/a> site. By exploiting this vulnerability<\/a>, an attacker could change the default role for new registrations to “administrator,” then create a new account. This newly created account would have full administrative access to the WordPress site, permitting the attacker to modify content, change site settings, or potentially install malicious code<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below is a simplified, conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability<\/a>. This is a mock AJAX request that modifies the site’s default role for new users to “administrator”<\/a>:<\/p>\n

POST \/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: application\/x-www-form-urlencoded\naction=embedder_set_global_option&option=default_role&value=administrator<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, the “action” parameter is set to the vulnerable<\/a> function, “embedder_set_global_option. The “option” parameter is set to “default_role”, and the “value” parameter is set to “administrator”. This request would set the default role for new users to “administrator”, allowing the attacker to create a new account with full administrative privileges<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In the digital world, vulnerabilities in software are a common occurrence, capable of putting vast amounts of data at risk. The CVE-2025-3417 is a critical security vulnerability that affects the Embedder plugin for WordPress, a widely-used platform for creating websites. This vulnerability allows an attacker with only Subscriber-level access or above to modify arbitrary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[76],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-25959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-privilege-escalation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t