CVE-2025-14043 in Tainacan Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/21/2025
The Tainacan plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized metadata section creation due to missing authorization checks in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.1. This is due to the `create_item_permissions_check()` function unconditionally returning true, which bypasses authentication and authorization validation. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to create arbitrary metadata sections for any collection via the public REST API granted they can access the WordPress site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-14043 affects the Tainacan plugin for WordPress, a popular content management system extension designed for creating and managing digital collections. This security flaw represents a critical authorization bypass that undermines the fundamental security model of the plugin's metadata management system. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.0.1, making it a widespread concern for WordPress sites utilizing this plugin. The issue stems from a deliberate design flaw in the plugin's REST API implementation where proper authentication and authorization mechanisms have been completely omitted from the metadata section creation process.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies within the `create_item_permissions_check()` function which is responsible for validating whether a user has appropriate permissions to create new metadata sections. This function is designed to perform authorization checks but instead unconditionally returns true, effectively disabling all permission validation. This pattern of returning true regardless of authentication status creates a complete bypass of the intended security controls. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a classic authorization bypass vulnerability that aligns with CWE-863, which describes the failure to correctly enforce authorization checks. The flaw allows any attacker with knowledge of the WordPress site's public REST API endpoints to create arbitrary metadata sections without requiring valid credentials or administrative privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables unauthenticated attackers to manipulate the metadata structure of any collection within the Tainacan plugin. This capability can be leveraged for various malicious activities including data manipulation, information disclosure, and potential system compromise. Attackers can create metadata sections that may contain malicious configurations or misleading information that could affect how collections are displayed or processed within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability essentially grants attackers the ability to modify the plugin's metadata schema structure, which could lead to denial of service conditions, data corruption, or serve as a foothold for further exploitation. The public nature of the REST API means that this vulnerability is easily exploitable from any network location without requiring special access privileges.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of the Tainacan plugin to version 1.0.2 or later, which contains the necessary authorization checks. System administrators should also implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the WordPress REST API endpoints where possible, though this approach is less effective given that the vulnerability affects the core authentication mechanism. Monitoring for unauthorized metadata section creation activities should be implemented through log analysis and alerting systems to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls that can help detect and block malicious API requests targeting the vulnerable endpoints. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as attackers could potentially use this vulnerability to establish persistent access or gain additional privileges within the WordPress environment. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other plugins or components that may exhibit similar authorization bypass patterns.