CVE-2025-12814
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 SiteSEO – SEO Simplified plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to n incorrect capability check on the siteseo_reset_settings function in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, who have been granted access to at least on SiteSEO setting capability, to reset the plugin's settings.
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 SiteSEO WordPress plugin has a broken access control vulnerability in the siteseo_reset_settings function. The function performs an incorrect capability check, allowing any authenticated user with at least one SiteSEO setting capability to reset all plugin settings to default, despite lacking proper authorization for this action.
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
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Identify if SiteSEO plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'SiteSEO' or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a siteseo folderAffected if SiteSEO plugin is present in the WordPress installation
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Determine the installed SiteSEO versionIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, find SiteSEO, and note the version number displayedAffected if The installed version is earlier than 1.3.3 (or if version cannot be determined but the plugin is present)
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Verify if any non-administrator users have SiteSEO-related capabilitiesReview user roles and capabilities in WordPress (Users > All Users) or use a role management plugin to check if Editors, Authors, or Contributors have any SiteSEO-specific capabilities assignedAffected if Any user role below Administrator has SiteSEO capabilities enabled (not just manage_options)
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Check for the siteseo_reset_settings function exposureInspect the SiteSEO plugin files (particularly in the admin or settings PHP files) for the function 'siteseo_reset_settings' and verify the capability check it uses - look for weak capability checks like 'edit_posts' rather than 'manage_options'Affected if The function uses a weak capability check that allows any authenticated user with basic SiteSEO permissions to reset all settings
A site is affected if SiteSEO plugin version is earlier than 1.3.3 AND any non-administrator user account with SiteSEO capabilities exists on the 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 to version 1.3.3 or later when available, or implement proper capability checks using WordPress capability functions (e.g., manage_options) on all settings reset/update functions to ensure only administrators can modify plugin configuration.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12814 — 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-2025-12814 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