CVE-2025-4473

Frontend Dashboard 1.5.10 - 2.2.7 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Account Takeover/Privilege Escalation via ajax_request Function

2025-05-12 17:49
kr0d

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.2.8
Affected Plugin
Frontend Dashboard
Affected Version
1.5.10 – 2.2.7
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
CVE
CVE-2025-4473
View all Frontend Dashboard vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2025-4473 is a high-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the Frontend Dashboard WordPress plugin, affecting versions 1.5.10 – 2.2.7. 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 2.2.8; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2025, reported by kr0d.

Vulnerability Overview

The Frontend Dashboard plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation due to a missing capability check on the ajax_request() function in versions 1.0 to 2.2.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to control where the plugin sends outgoing emails. By pointing SMTP to their own server, attackers could capture password reset emails intended for administrators, and elevate their privileges for full site takeover.

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-285: Improper Authorization

Frontend Dashboard 1.5.10 – 2.2.7 carries this weakness at ajax_request(), and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Improper authorization means a permission check exists but does not cover the case being exercised, so a caller who is allowed to do one thing is allowed to do a neighbouring thing as well.

A lower-privileged account performs an action reserved for a higher one, which on a multi-author or membership site means an ordinary user reaching administrative behaviour. For Frontend Dashboard the fix is 2.2.8: builds 1.5.10 – 2.2.7 are affected, anything from 2.2.8 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.2.8, 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: Frontend Dashboard 2.2.8 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-4473https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2f3a10b5-b024-4b3f-af67-b7fcb997d368https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-4473

Related records

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