CVE-2025-12583
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 Downloads List plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'wp_ajax_neofix_sdl_edit' AJAX endpoint along with many others in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to alter many of the plugin's settings/downloads and inject malicious web scripts.
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 Downloads List WordPress plugin has multiple AJAX endpoints (including 'wp_ajax_neofix_sdl_edit') that lack proper capability checks, allowing any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access or higher to modify plugin settings, downloads, and inject stored malicious scripts.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Simple Downloads List plugin is installedCheck the WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins/) for the 'simple-downloads-list' folder, or list installed plugins via WP-CLI: wp plugin list --name='simple-downloads-list'Affected if The plugin folder exists in the plugins directory
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Check installed plugin versionRead the plugin main file header (wp-content/plugins/simple-downloads-list/simple-downloads-list.php) or use WP-CLI: wp plugin get simple-downloads-list --field=versionAffected if Version is lower than 1.4.4 or version cannot be determined (plugin may be outdated/unmaintained)
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Identify users with Subscriber-level access or higherQuery WordPress users with role Subscriber, Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator using WP-CLI: wp user list --role=subscriber --fields=ID,user_login,roles (repeat for each role)Affected if Any user account exists with Subscriber role or higher, creating a larger attack surface
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Inspect AJAX endpoint registrationSearch plugin PHP files for add_action calls registering 'wp_ajax_neofix_sdl_edit' or similar endpoints, and verify if current_user_can() checks are present: grep -r 'add_action.*wp_ajax' wp-content/plugins/simple-downloads-list/Affected if AJAX handlers are registered without capability checks (no current_user_can() validation before processing requests)
A user is affected if the Simple Downloads List plugin is installed with a version below 1.4.4 AND any authenticated user account with Subscriber-level access or higher exists on the WordPress site.
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 1.4.4 or later which includes proper capability checks on AJAX endpoints; alternatively, implement nonce verification and capability checks (e.g., current_user_can('manage_options')) on all affected AJAX handlers.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,984.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12583 — 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-2025-12583 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
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- 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