dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-11877

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The User Activity Log plugin is vulnerable to a limited options update in versions up to, and including, 2.2. The failed-login handler 'ual_shook_wp_login_failed' lacks a capability check and writes failed usernames directly into update_option() calls. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to push select site options from 0 to a non-zero value, allowing them to reopen registration or corrupt options like 'wp_user_roles', breaking wp-admin access. CVE-2025-13471 appears to be a duplicate of this CVE.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The User Activity Log plugin versions up to 2.2 contains a broken access control vulnerability in the failed-login handler 'ual_shook_wp_login_failed'. This handler lacks capability checks and directly uses failed-username input in update_option() calls, allowing unauthenticated attackers to modify select site options from 0 to non-zero values. Attackers can reopen user registration or corrupt critical options like 'wp_user_roles', breaking wp-admin access.

MitigationUpdate the User Activity Log plugin to version 2.3 or later. If an update is unavailable, disable the plugin immediately and restore any corrupted options (particularly 'wp_user_roles') from a backup.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify User Activity Log plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'User Activity Log', or inspect the plugins directory for the ual-wp-user-activity-log folder and check its main PHP file for the version header.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active
  2. Check installed plugin version
    Open the main plugin file (usually ual-wp-user-activity-log.php) and locate the Version header in the plugin comment block. Compare this version to the affected range (up to 2.2).
    Affected if Version is 2.2 or lower (the vulnerable version range)
  3. Confirm the vulnerable handler exists
    Search the plugin source code for the function 'ual_shook_wp_login_failed' and verify it contains direct update_option() calls using the login username without capability checks.
    Affected if The handler function exists and performs update_option without capability verification
  4. Inspect vulnerable site options
    Check the current values of 'users_can_register' (via wp_options table or Settings > General) and 'wp_user_roles' (via wp_options table) to see if they have been modified from expected values.
    Affected if users_can_register is enabled when it should not be, OR wp_user_roles contains corrupted/invalid data preventing admin access

You are affected if the User Activity Log plugin versions 2.2 or lower is installed and active, with the vulnerable handler present and suspicious option changes detected.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the User Activity Log plugin to version 2.3 or later. If an update is unavailable, disable the plugin immediately and restore any corrupted options (particularly 'wp_user_roles') from a backup.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to version 2.3 or later (latest available version)

  1. Backup your WordPress database and files before making any changes
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in WordPress admin
  3. Find the User Activity Log plugin
  4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/user-activity-log and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. After updating, verify the plugin is functioning correctly and that wp_user_roles option has not been corrupted
Caveat Review plugin settings after upgrade as configuration may need verification

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-11877 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data