CVE-2025-15041

BackWPup 5.0.0 - 5.6.2 - Authenticated (BackWPup Helper+) Privilege Escalation via Arbitrary Options Update

2026-02-18 00:00
0N0ise

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.6.3
Affected Plugin
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin
Affected Version
5.0.0 – 5.6.2
CVSS
7.2High
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2025-15041
View all BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2025-15041 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the BackWPup WordPress plugin, affecting versions 5.0.0 – 5.6.2. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at BackWPup Helper level or above. The issue is fixed in version 5.6.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2026, reported by 0N0ise.

Vulnerability Overview

The BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the save_site_option() function in all versions 5.0.0 to 5.6.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with level access and above, to update arbitrary options on the WordPress site. This can be leveraged to update the default role for registration to administrator and enable user registration for attackers to gain administrative user access to a vulnerable site.

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, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

BackWPup 5.0.0 – 5.6.2 carries this weakness at save_site_option(), and reaching it takes an account at BackWPup Helper level or above. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For BackWPup the fix is 5.6.3: builds 5.0.0 – 5.6.2 are affected, anything from 5.6.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.6.3, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: BackWPup 5.6.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-15041https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2ab8f440-2910-41a3-8bbc-afb4cafd33b5https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-15041

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C