CVE-2025-2563 in User Registration & Membership Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/14/2025
The User Registration & Membership WordPress plugin before 4.1.2 does not prevent users to set their account role when the Membership Addon is enabled, leading to a privilege escalation issue and allowing unauthenticated users to gain admin privileges
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-2563 affects the User Registration & Membership WordPress plugin version 4.1.1 and earlier, presenting a critical privilege escalation flaw that directly undermines the security model of WordPress sites utilizing this plugin. This issue specifically manifests when the Membership Addon is enabled, creating a scenario where the plugin fails to properly validate user role assignments during the registration process. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the plugin's user registration workflow, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the role assignment process and elevate their privileges beyond the intended scope.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management, where the plugin does not adequately enforce role-based access controls during user account creation. When the Membership Addon is active, the plugin should normally restrict role assignment to administrators or authorized personnel, but due to the missing validation checks, any user attempting to register can potentially specify administrative roles for their accounts. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the principle of least privilege, where user accounts can be created with elevated permissions without proper authorization. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates in a way that allows unauthenticated users to exploit the system, meaning that no prior login credentials or authentication are required to attempt the privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for WordPress administrators and site owners who have not yet updated to version 4.1.2. An attacker who discovers this vulnerability can register a new account and immediately gain administrative access to the WordPress site, enabling them to modify content, install malicious plugins, steal sensitive data, modify user accounts, and potentially use the compromised site as a launching point for further attacks within the network. This privilege escalation allows for complete control over the WordPress installation and all associated data, making it a critical security concern for any site using the affected plugin. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects the registration process itself, meaning that any user who can access the registration page can potentially exploit this flaw.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should immediately involve updating the User Registration & Membership plugin to version 4.1.2 or later, which includes the necessary patch to prevent unauthorized role assignment during user registration. System administrators should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring registration attempts, restricting access to registration pages through firewall rules, and implementing rate limiting to prevent automated exploitation attempts. The patch addresses the core issue by implementing proper input validation and access control checks that ensure only authorized users can assign administrative roles, thereby restoring the intended security boundaries within the WordPress plugin architecture. Security professionals should also consider implementing network-based detection measures to monitor for suspicious registration patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as this vulnerability could be targeted by automated scanning tools looking for known WordPress vulnerabilities.