dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-2779

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the ajax_dismiss function in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.2. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update option values to 1/true on the WordPress site. This can be leveraged to update an option that would create an error on the site and deny access to legitimate users or be used to set some values to true, such as registration.

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 · moderate confidence

The Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to an IDOR/insecure direct object reference in its ajax_dismiss function. The function lacks a capability check (like manage_options), allowing any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access or higher to modify arbitrary WordPress options via AJAX to values of 1 or true.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 1.1.3 or later which adds proper capability verification to the ajax_dismiss function, then audit recently modified options for unauthorized changes.

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checks

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

  1. Confirm plugin installation and version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Insert Headers and Footers Code' or 'HT Script'. Check the version number listed under the plugin name. Alternatively, check the plugin header in wp-content/plugins/ht-script/insert-headers-and-footers.php for the Version: field.
    Affected if The installed version is below 1.1.3 (or if version cannot be determined but the plugin is present).
  2. Locate the ajax_dismiss function
    Inspect the plugin file at wp-content/plugins/ht-script/insert-headers-and-footers.php. Search for the string 'ajax_dismiss' or 'add_action( "wp_ajax_ajax_dismiss"' to find the vulnerable function definition.
    Affected if The ajax_dismiss function exists in the plugin code (meaning the vulnerable endpoint is present).
  3. Verify capability check presence
    Within the ajax_dismiss function code, look for a capability check such as 'current_user_can( "manage_options" )' or 'current_user_can( "manage_options" )' at the beginning of the function. Check if this check exists before any option modification logic.
    Affected if No capability check (like current_user_can) is found before the option update logic, or the check is missing entirely.
  4. Audit recently modified WordPress options
    Query the wp_options table for recently changed options: SELECT option_name, option_value, autoload FROM wp_options WHERE option_name NOT LIKE '%_transient_%' ORDER BY option_id DESC LIMIT 50; Review for unauthorized or unexpected option values set to '1' or 'true'.
    Affected if Options have been modified to 1 or true that were not intentionally changed by administrators, especially options controlling critical WordPress settings.

A user is affected if the HT Script plugin is installed at a version below 1.1.3, the ajax_dismiss function is present without a capability check, and there is any possibility that lower-privileged users (Subscriber+) accessed the site during the vulnerable period.

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 1.1.3 or later which adds proper capability verification to the ajax_dismiss function, then audit recently modified options for unauthorized changes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version after 1.1.2 (typically 1.1.3 or higher)

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script' plugin
  4. If update available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. If no update visible, deactivate the vulnerable plugin and install the latest version from WordPress.org plugin repository

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-2779 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-2779 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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