CVE-2025-4607 in PSW Front-end Login & Registration Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/31/2025
The PSW Front-end Login & Registration plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.12 via the customer_registration() function. This is due to the use of a weak, low-entropy OTP mechanism in the forget() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to initiate a password reset for any user, including administrators, and elevate their privileges for full site takeover.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2025
The CVE-2025-4607 vulnerability affects the PSW Front-end Login & Registration plugin for WordPress, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that undermines the security of WordPress installations. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.12, making it particularly concerning given the widespread use of WordPress and its plugins. The flaw manifests through two primary functions within the plugin's codebase, creating a dangerous attack vector that allows unauthenticated adversaries to gain unauthorized access to administrative accounts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's weak implementation of one-time password mechanisms within the forget() function, which constitutes a significant security weakness. The low-entropy OTP generation process creates predictable and guessable tokens that can be easily brute-forced or reverse-engineered by attackers. This weak cryptographic implementation directly violates security best practices and industry standards, particularly those outlined in CWE-330, which addresses the use of insufficiently random values in security-sensitive contexts. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to initiate password reset requests for any user account, including high-privilege administrator accounts, without requiring prior authentication or knowledge of valid credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential theft, as it enables full site takeover capabilities for unauthenticated attackers. Once an attacker successfully exploits the weak OTP mechanism, they can reset passwords for any user account and subsequently gain administrative access to the WordPress installation. This privilege escalation allows for complete control over the website, including the ability to modify content, install malicious plugins, alter user permissions, and potentially use the compromised site as a launching point for further attacks against other systems within the network. The implications are particularly severe in environments where WordPress is used for business-critical applications or contains sensitive user data, as the vulnerability can lead to data breaches, service disruption, and potential regulatory compliance violations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the PSW Front-end Login & Registration plugin, which should contain fixes for the weak OTP implementation. Security teams should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as rate limiting on password reset requests, monitoring for unusual password reset activity, and enforcing stronger authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials and default credentials, highlights the importance of proper credential management and the need for organizations to maintain up-to-date security patches. Additionally, network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect and alert on suspicious password reset patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Given the nature of the vulnerability and its potential for full system compromise, immediate remediation is essential to prevent unauthorized access and maintain the integrity of WordPress installations.