CVE-2025-14866 in Role Editor Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/23/2026
The Melapress Role Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.1. This is due to a misconfigured capability check on the 'save_secondary_roles_field' function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to assign themselves additional roles including Administrator.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/25/2026
The Melapress Role Editor plugin for WordPress presents a critical privilege escalation vulnerability that undermines the security model of WordPress installations. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.1.1, creating a significant risk for WordPress sites that rely on this plugin for user role management. The flaw resides within the plugin's capability checking mechanism, specifically within the 'save_secondary_roles_field' function which fails to properly validate user permissions before allowing role modifications. This misconfiguration enables attackers to manipulate their own user privileges without proper authorization, fundamentally compromising the principle of least privilege that is central to WordPress security architecture.
The technical flaw manifests through a capability check that does not adequately verify whether an authenticated user possesses the necessary permissions to modify other users' roles. Attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher can exploit this vulnerability to assign themselves additional administrative roles, effectively elevating their privileges within the WordPress environment. This misconfiguration directly violates the security principle that role modifications should require elevated permissions beyond those of the user attempting the modification. The vulnerability operates at the application level within WordPress's user management system, where the plugin fails to properly integrate with WordPress's built-in capability checking mechanisms. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in privilege management where insufficient authorization checks allow unauthorized privilege escalation, specifically CWE-276. The vulnerability creates a direct path for attackers to bypass normal access controls and gain administrative capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over affected WordPress installations. Once an attacker successfully elevates their privileges, they can modify any content, install malicious plugins, alter themes, access sensitive data, and potentially use the compromised site as a launching point for further attacks within the network. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal prerequisites - attackers only need a valid subscriber account or higher to exploit the flaw. The attack vector is straightforward and can be executed through the plugin's administrative interface, making it accessible to attackers with basic WordPress knowledge. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts with elevated privileges, and represents a critical weakness in the defense-in-depth strategy that WordPress relies upon for user access control.
Organizations using the Melapress Role Editor plugin should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to the latest version of the plugin where the capability check has been properly implemented. Until an official patch is available, administrators should consider disabling the plugin entirely or restricting access to its administrative functions through additional security measures. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual role modification activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper capability validation in WordPress plugins and highlights the need for security audits of third-party extensions. Regular security assessments of WordPress installations should include verification of plugin permissions and capability checks to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future. Additionally, implementing role-based access controls and regularly reviewing user permissions can help mitigate the impact of such vulnerabilities.