CVE-2025-2232 in Realteo Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/14/2025
The Realteo - Real Estate Plugin by Purethemes plugin for WordPress, used by the Findeo Theme, is vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.8. This is due to insufficient role restrictions in the 'do_register_user' function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register an account with the Administrator role.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-2232 affects the Realteo - Real Estate Plugin version 1.2.8 and earlier, which is utilized by the Findeo Theme within the WordPress ecosystem. This security flaw represents a critical authentication bypass vulnerability that undermines the fundamental security controls of the plugin. The vulnerability stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the plugin's user registration functionality, specifically in the do_register_user function that handles new user account creation. The flaw allows malicious actors to exploit the registration process and elevate their newly created accounts to administrator privileges without proper authentication or authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the insufficient role validation within the plugin's user registration logic. When an attacker invokes the do_register_user function, the system fails to properly validate or restrict the user role assignment during the registration process. This design flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to manipulate the registration parameters to request administrator-level privileges directly during account creation. The vulnerability manifests because the plugin does not enforce proper role-based access controls or implement adequate input sanitization for role parameters within the registration endpoint. According to CWE-285, this represents an insufficient authorization issue where the application does not properly verify that the requesting entity has sufficient privileges to perform the requested operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for any WordPress site utilizing the affected plugin. An unauthenticated attacker can leverage this flaw to create administrator accounts, thereby gaining complete control over the affected website. This includes the ability to modify content, install malicious plugins, access sensitive data, alter user permissions, and potentially use the compromised site as a launching point for further attacks within the network. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor that bypasses all standard authentication mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous for real estate websites that often contain sensitive property listings, client information, and financial data. The attack surface expands significantly as compromised administrator accounts can be used to establish persistent access or to pivot to other systems within the organization's infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to protect their WordPress installations. The primary recommendation involves updating to the latest version of the Realteo plugin where the authentication bypass has been addressed through proper role validation and access control enforcement. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as restricting access to plugin directories, implementing web application firewalls with custom rules to detect suspicious registration attempts, and monitoring user registration activities for unusual patterns. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing, as attackers can leverage the compromised administrator accounts for further malicious activities. Network segmentation and regular security audits should be conducted to identify any potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and role-based access control implementation as outlined in OWASP Top Ten Project guidelines, particularly focusing on proper authorization controls and secure authentication mechanisms to prevent such critical flaws in web applications.