CVE-2025-12158
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 · uneditedThe Simple User Capabilities plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation due to a missing capability check on the suc_submit_capabilities() function in all versions up to, and including, 1.0. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to elevate the role of any user account to administrator.
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 confidenceThe Simple User Capabilities WordPress plugin has a privilege escalation vulnerability where the suc_submit_capabilities() function lacks proper capability checks, allowing unauthenticated attackers to assign administrator roles to arbitrary user accounts.
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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm plugin installation and versionNavigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and locate 'Simple User Capabilities' or inspect the plugin header in wp-content/plugins/simple-user-capabilities/simple-user-capabilities.php for the Version fieldAffected if The installed version is unknown, unpatched, or below 1.1
-
Locate the vulnerable function fileOpen the plugin file containing suc_submit_capabilities() - typically in the main plugin PHP file or an includes/functions file within the plugin directoryAffected if The function suc_submit_capabilities() exists in the codebase
-
Inspect function for capability checksExamine the suc_submit_capabilities() function definition and look for current_user_can(), wp_verify_nonce(), or similar authorization logic at the function entry pointAffected if The function lacks proper capability verification (no current_user_can() check) and/or nonce validation at the start of the function
-
Check ajax/action hook registrationSearch the plugin files for add_action or add_hook calls registering suc_submit_capabilities - look for hooks like 'wp_ajax_suc_submit_capabilities' or 'init' that expose this functionAffected if The function is hooked to an action accessible to unauthenticated users (no privilege check before execution)
-
Verify public access to the submission endpointReview the plugin's form handling or AJAX callback registration - check if the hook is registered with 'nopriv' capability or without requiring authenticationAffected if The hook allows unauthenticated (guest) users to trigger the function without logging in
You are affected if the Simple User Capabilities plugin is installed and the suc_submit_capabilities() function is present without proper capability and nonce verification, allowing unauthenticated role escalation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate the plugin to version 1.1 or later if available; if no patch exists, remove the plugin. Alternatively, add capability checks and nonce verification to the suc_submit_capabilities() function to ensure only authorized administrators can modify user roles.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12158 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-12158 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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