CVE-2025-3417: Unauthorized Data Modification and Privilege Escalation in WordPress Embedder Plugin

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 options on the WordPress site, potentially granting themselves administrative user access. Due to the prevalence of WordPress and the severity of this vulnerability, it’s crucial for businesses and individuals using the affected plugin to understand the risks and apply the necessary patch.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-3417
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low (Subscriber-level access)
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Unauthorized modification of data, potential system compromise and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

WordPress Embedder Plugin | 1.3 to 1.3.5

How the Exploit Works

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 site. By exploiting this vulnerability, 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.

Conceptual Example Code

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

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
action=embedder_set_global_option&option=default_role&value=administrator

In this example, the “action” parameter is set to the vulnerable 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.