CVE-2025-48165

DELUCKS SEO <= 2.6.0 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Privilege Escalation

2025-07-31 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.6.1
Affected Plugin: DELUCKS SEO
Affected Version: <= 2.6.0
CVSS: 8.8High
Weakness type: CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE: CVE-2025-48165

At a glance

CVE-2025-48165 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the DELUCKS SEO WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.6.0. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.6.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2025, reported by Martino Spagnuolo.

Vulnerability Overview

The DELUCKS SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to elevate their privileges.

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-269: Improper Privilege Management

Reaching this weakness in DELUCKS SEO <= 2.6.0 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Improper privilege management means the code lets an account end up with capabilities its role should not have.

It converts a low-privileged account into an administrative one, which makes every other restriction on the site irrelevant. For DELUCKS SEO the fix is 2.6.1: builds <= 2.6.0 are affected, anything from 2.6.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.6.1, 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: DELUCKS SEO 2.6.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-48165 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/4fc00e00-5015-4dd7-8b26-56f3925bdbc6 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-48165

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in DELUCKS SEO

CVSS Vector

8.8

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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