Authors List <= 2.0.6.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Sensitive Information Exposure via Limited Method Call in Plugin's Shortcode
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.0.6.2
- Affected Plugin
- Authors List
- Affected Version
<= 2.0.6.1- CVSS
- 6.5Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
- CVE
CVE-2025-12010
At a glance
CVE-2025-12010 is a medium-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in the Authors List WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.0.6.1. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.0.6.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2025, reported by kai.
Vulnerability Overview
The Authors List plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.6.1 via the via arbitrary method call from Authors_List_Shortcode class. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to call methods such as get_meta to extract sensitive user data including password hashes, email addresses, usernames, and activation keys via specially crafted shortcode attributes
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality.
CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Reaching this weakness in Authors List <= 2.0.6.1 takes an account at Contributor level or above. Sensitive information exposure means data the application intended to keep internal is returned to a caller who should not be able to see it.
The disclosed data — credentials, tokens, customer records or internal paths — is usually worth more as material for a follow-up attack than as an end in itself. For Authors List the fix is 2.0.6.2: builds <= 2.0.6.1 are affected, anything from 2.0.6.2 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.0.6.2, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The fix is the thing that ends this: Authors List 2.0.6.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Authors List
- 7.3CVE-2024-10952: Authors List <= 2.0.4 Arbitrary Shortcode Execution
CVE-2024-10952 - 6.5CVE-2024-13806: Authors List <= 2.0.6 Arbitrary Shortcode Execution
CVE-2024-13806 - 6.1CVE-2023-37981: Authors List <= 2.0.2 Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2023-37981 - 4.3CVE-2025-58792: Authors List <= 2.0.6.1 Cross-Site Request Forgery
CVE-2025-58792
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