dbcve.org
Improper AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-285

CVE-2025-3918

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-03
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 Job Listings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation due to improper authorization within the register_action() function in versions 0.1 to 0.1.1. The plugin’s registration handler reads the client-supplied $_POST['user_role'] and passes it directly to wp_insert_user() without restricting to a safe set of roles. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to elevate their privileges to that of an administrator.

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 Job Listings WordPress plugin (versions 0.1-0.1.1) has a privilege escalation vulnerability in its register_action() function. The function directly uses the client-supplied $_POST['user_role'] parameter when calling wp_insert_user() without validating against an allowlist of permitted roles, allowing unauthenticated attackers to create administrator accounts.

MitigationImmediately remove or disable the plugin if not needed; otherwise, implement strict role validation that only permits safe, pre-defined roles (e.g., subscriber) and rejects any user-supplied role input.

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. Locate the plugin files
    Check your WordPress installation under wp-content/plugins/ for a folder named 'job-listings', 'job-listings-plugin', or similar naming convention related to job listings functionality.
    Affected if The plugin folder exists in the plugins directory.
  2. Identify the plugin version
    Open the main plugin PHP file (usually named plugin-name.php or readme.txt) and locate the Version header in the plugin comment block. Compare against the affected range 0.1 to 0.1.1.
    Affected if The installed version is 0.1 or 0.1.1.
  3. Verify the vulnerable function exists
    Search within the plugin files for the function named 'register_action' and confirm it references '$_POST['user_role']' being passed to wp_insert_user() without an allowlist validation.
    Affected if The register_action function uses $_POST['user_role'] directly without role validation.
  4. Check if user registration is enabled
    In the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Settings > General and verify if the 'Membership' option 'Anyone can register' is checked. If enabled, note which default role is selected.
    Affected if User registration is enabled on the site, making the vulnerable registration function accessible to unauthenticated users.

You are affected if the Job Listings plugin (versions 0.1-0.1.1) is installed, the vulnerable register_action function using unvalidated $_POST['user_role'] exists, and user registration is enabled on the WordPress site.

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

Immediately remove or disable the plugin if not needed; otherwise, implement strict role validation that only permits safe, pre-defined roles (e.g., subscriber) and rejects any user-supplied role input.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version of Job Listings plugin (newer than 0.1.1)

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the 'Job Listings' plugin
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version
  5. 5. Alternatively, manually download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. 6. After updating, verify the site still functions correctly

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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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-2025-3918 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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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