dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-13342

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-03
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 Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of arbitrary WordPress options in all versions up to, and including, 3.28.20. This is due to insufficient capability checks and input validation in the ActionOptions::run() save handler. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to modify critical WordPress options such as users_can_register, default_role, and admin_email via submitting crafted form data to public frontend forms.

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 Frontend Admin plugin for WordPress versions up to 3.28.20 contains an unauthenticated privilege escalation vulnerability in the ActionOptions::run() save handler. The handler fails to validate user capabilities and sanitize input, allowing attackers to submit crafted form data to public frontend forms and modify critical WordPress options including users_can_register, default_role, and admin_email.

MitigationUpdate the Frontend Admin plugin to version 3.28.21 or later which contains the security patch. If unable to update immediately, disable the plugin or deploy WAF rules to block unauthorized option modification requests.

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. Verify Frontend Admin plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Frontend Admin' in the list, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for the frontend-admin folder
    Affected if The plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, click on the Frontend Admin plugin to view its details and note the version number, or read the main plugin file header for the 'Version' field
    Affected if The version is 3.28.20 or lower (any version up to and including 3.28.20)
  3. Check if ActionOptions form functionality is enabled
    Review the plugin settings for any frontend forms that use the 'ActionOptions' feature (options save action). In the WordPress admin, navigate to the Frontend Admin settings and look for forms configured to save options, or check the database wp_options table for frontend_admin related option entries
    Affected if A frontend form is configured to save WordPress options (users_can_register, default_role, admin_email) without requiring admin authentication
  4. Inspect critical WordPress options for unauthorized changes
    In WordPress admin, go to Settings > General and verify that 'Membership: Anyone can register' is set only if intended, 'New User Default Role' is set to the intended role, and 'Email Address' is correct. Alternatively, query the wp_options table directly: SELECT option_name, option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name IN ('users_can_register','default_role','admin_email')
    Affected if The users_can_register option is enabled without deliberate intent, the default_role has been changed to an elevated role such as administrator or editor, or admin_email has been changed to an unfamiliar address

The environment is affected if the Frontend Admin plugin version is 3.28.20 or lower AND a frontend form is configured to save options without authentication, or if critical WordPress options have been modified unexpectedly.

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 Frontend Admin plugin to version 3.28.21 or later which contains the security patch. If unable to update immediately, disable the plugin or deploy WAF rules to block unauthorized option modification requests.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 3.28.21 or later of the Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin

  1. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Locate the 'Frontend Admin by DynamiApps' plugin
  3. Check the current version is 3.28.20 or below
  4. Update the plugin to the latest available version (3.28.21 or later)

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,820
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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-2025-13342 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