dbcve.org
Improper AuthenticationWeakness · CWE-287

CVE-2025-12374

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Email Verification, Email OTP, Block Spam Email, Passwordless login, Hide Login, Magic Login – User Verification plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.44. This is due to the plugin not properly validating that an OTP was generated before comparing it to user input in the "user_verification_form_wrap_process_otpLogin" function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to log in as any user with a verified email address, such as an administrator, by submitting an empty OTP value.

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 WordPress User Verification plugin fails to validate that a One-Time Password (OTP) was actually generated before comparing user input in the user_verification_form_wrap_process_otpLogin function. Attackers can bypass authentication entirely by submitting an empty OTP value, allowing them to log in as any user with a verified email address, including administrators.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 2.0.45 or later immediately. If patching is not immediately possible, disable the plugin or restrict access to the login endpoint via WAF while planning the update. After patching, audit user accounts for unauthorized administrative access.

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 checks

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

  1. Identify if WordPress User Verification plugin is installed
    Check the wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'user-verification' or similar, or use WordPress admin to view installed plugins
    Affected if Plugin folder exists in the WordPress plugins directory
  2. Check installed plugin version against the fixed version
    Open the main plugin file (usually user-verification.php) and locate the 'Version:' header comment, or use WP CLI: wp plugin get user-verification --field=version
    Affected if Version is present and is below 2.0.45
  3. Verify if OTP login feature is enabled
    Check WordPress options table (wp_options) for user_verification settings, specifically look for otpLogin or similar option that enables OTP-based login; alternatively check plugin settings page in admin
    Affected if OTP login functionality is enabled in plugin settings (value is '1', 'true', or 'enabled')
  4. Inspect login logs for empty OTP submission attempts
    Review server access logs or WordPress authentication logs for POST requests to the login endpoint containing empty or missing otp parameter values
    Affected if Log entries show requests with empty/null OTP values that resulted in successful authentication

The environment is affected if the WordPress User Verification plugin is installed with a version below 2.0.45 and the OTP login feature is enabled, allowing unauthenticated attackers to bypass login with empty OTP input.

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 plugin to version 2.0.45 or later immediately. If patching is not immediately possible, disable the plugin or restrict access to the login endpoint via WAF while planning the update. After patching, audit user accounts for unauthorized administrative access.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

version 2.0.45 or later

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the 'Email Verification, Email OTP, Block Spam Email, Passwordless login, Hide Login, Magic Login – User Verification' plugin
  4. 4. Check the current installed version (should be 2.0.44 or below)
  5. 5. Update the plugin to the latest available version

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,600
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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-2025-12374 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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