CVE-2025-2815: Unauthorized Modification of Data in Administrator Z WordPress Plugin

Overview

The CVE-2025-2815 vulnerability affects the widely used Administrator Z plugin for WordPress websites. This flaw can allow attackers to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized control over a WordPress site. As many businesses and individuals rely on WordPress for their online presence, this vulnerability poses a significant threat to the integrity of their digital operations. It is therefore crucial to understand this vulnerability, its implications, and how it can be mitigated.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-2815
Severity: High (8.8)
Attack Vector: Web Application
Privileges Required: Subscriber-level
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Unauthorized modification of data, potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Administrator Z WordPress Plugin | All versions up to and including 2025.03.24

How the Exploit Works

The CVE-2025-2815 vulnerability resides in the adminz_import_backup() function of the Administrator Z plugin for WordPress. This function lacks a proper capability check, which can allow authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update arbitrary options on the WordPress site.
The exploit can be leveraged to update the default role for registration to an administrator, thereby enabling user registration. This will allow the attackers to gain administrative user access to a vulnerable site, potentially compromising the system or leading to data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Here is a conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit the vulnerability:

POST /wp-admin/admin.php?page=adminz_import_backup HTTP/1.1
Host: victim-site.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Cookie: [authenticated user session cookie here]
option_name=default_role&option_value=administrator

In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to the vulnerable adminz_import_backup function, using an authenticated session cookie. The attacker then changes the ‘default_role’ option to ‘administrator’, effectively allowing any new users to register as administrators on the site.

Mitigation

The best course of action to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the vendor-supplied patch. If the patch is not yet available or cannot be immediately applied, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. Regularly updating and patching your WordPress plugins is a good standard practice to prevent such vulnerabilities.