CVE-2025-5482 in Sunshine Photo Cart Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/04/2025
The Sunshine Photo Cart: Free Client Photo Galleries for Photographers plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation via account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 3.4.11. This is due to the plugin not properly validating a user-supplied key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to change arbitrary user's passwords through the password reset functionality, including administrators, and leverage that to reset the user's password and gain access to their account.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-5482 affects the Sunshine Photo Cart plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 3.4.11. This represents a critical privilege escalation flaw that fundamentally undermines the security model of WordPress installations using this plugin. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the plugin's password reset mechanism, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to manipulate user account credentials without proper authorization. The flaw particularly impacts systems where users possess Subscriber-level access or higher, making it a significant concern for photographers and businesses relying on WordPress for their online galleries and client management.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in the plugin's failure to properly validate user-supplied keys during the password reset process. This validation gap creates a direct attack vector where malicious actors can exploit the existing authentication framework to manipulate password reset functionality. According to CWE standards, this manifests as a weakness in input validation and authentication mechanisms, specifically categorized under CWE-284 for improper access control. The vulnerability allows attackers to target any user account within the WordPress system, including high-privilege administrator accounts, by simply leveraging their existing subscriber-level access to manipulate the password reset flow.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential theft, as it enables full account takeover capabilities within the affected WordPress environment. An attacker with subscriber privileges can systematically target administrator accounts, bypassing normal authentication barriers and gaining complete control over the photography business's online presence. This includes access to client galleries, photo management systems, and potentially sensitive business data stored within the WordPress platform. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privilege escalation to achieve maximum impact, making it an attractive target for adversaries seeking to compromise business-critical photography operations. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566.002 for spearphishing with a malicious attachment, as the attack leverages existing legitimate user accounts to escalate privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-5482 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the password reset validation flaw. System administrators must implement comprehensive monitoring of password reset activities and user account changes to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit the potential impact of credential compromise. The implementation of multi-factor authentication across all user accounts provides additional defense-in-depth against account takeover attempts. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of user permissions and roles to ensure that unnecessary elevated privileges are not granted to low-privilege accounts. Regular security assessments of WordPress plugins and themes remain essential for maintaining defense against similar vulnerabilities in the broader WordPress ecosystem. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management systems to ensure timely deployment of security updates across all WordPress installations.