CVE-2025-66137 in Searcher for Elementor Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/22/2026
Missing Authorization vulnerability in merkulove Searcher for Elementor searcher-elementor allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Searcher for Elementor: from n/a through <= 1.0.3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2026
The CVE-2025-66137 vulnerability represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the merkulove Searcher for Elementor plugin, specifically impacting versions ranging from the initial release through version 1.0.3. This security weakness manifests as an incorrectly configured access control mechanism that permits unauthorized users to exploit functionality that should be restricted to authenticated administrators or authorized personnel. The vulnerability resides in the plugin's core access control implementation, where proper authorization checks are either absent or improperly enforced, creating a pathway for privilege escalation attacks. Such misconfigurations in access control represent a fundamental breakdown in the security architecture that directly violates established security principles and best practices.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when unauthenticated or low-privilege users can access administrative functions or sensitive data that should only be available to authorized personnel. This misconfiguration allows attackers to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and potentially gain access to administrative panels, user data, or other restricted resources within the Elementor-powered website environment. The flaw specifically affects the plugin's search functionality implementation, where access controls are not properly validated before executing privileged operations. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-285: Improper Authorization, which encompasses issues where systems fail to properly enforce access control policies and authorization checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate website content, modify user permissions, or extract sensitive information from the affected WordPress installation. The consequences can be particularly severe in environments where Elementor is used for content management, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to modify published content, inject malicious scripts, or compromise the entire website. This type of vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges and gain full administrative control over the affected system, as highlighted by ATT&CK framework technique T1078: Valid Accounts, where unauthorized access to legitimate user accounts or administrative functions can be achieved through improper access control enforcement.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-66137 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 1.0.4 or later, which contains the necessary authorization controls. System administrators should also implement additional security measures including regular security audits of installed plugins, implementation of web application firewalls, and monitoring for suspicious access patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in web applications and underscores the necessity of following security development lifecycle practices. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their WordPress installations to identify similar misconfigurations in other plugins or themes, as this type of authorization flaw often indicates broader security architecture weaknesses that require systematic remediation approaches.