CVE-2025-5288
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 REST API | Custom API Generator For Cross Platform And Import Export In WP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation due to a missing capability check on the process_handler() function in versions 1.0.0 to 2.0.3. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to POST an arbitrary import_api URL, import specially crafted JSON, and thereby create a new user with full Administrator privileges.
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 WordPress plugin 'REST API | Custom API Generator For Cross Platform And Import Export In WP' has a Privilege Escalation vulnerability in versions 1.0.0-2.0.3. The process_handler() function lacks capability checks, allowing unauthenticated attackers to POST a malicious import_api URL with crafted JSON that creates a new Administrator account, effectively granting them full site control.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed plugin versionIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, find 'REST API | Custom API Generator For Cross Platform And Import Export In WP', and note the version number displayed. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file header for the Version field.Affected if The version is 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 1.0.9, 1.1.0, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.2.0, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.4, 1.2.5, 1.2.6, 1.2.7, 1.2.8, 1.2.9, 1.3.0, 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, or 2.0.3 (any version from 1.0.0 through 2.0.3).
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Review all Administrator-level user accountsGo to WordPress admin > Users, and examine the list of users with the Administrator role. Look for any accounts you do not recognize, especially those created recently or with unfamiliar email addresses.Affected if There is an unrecognized Administrator account that you did not create, which indicates potential exploitation.
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Check for recently created user accountsIn WordPress admin > Users, sort by the 'Registered' column or date, and look for any user accounts registered within a timeframe that correlates with when the vulnerability may have been exploited.Affected if There are user accounts with Administrator role registered recently that you did not create.
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Inspect server access logs for suspicious POST requestsExamine your web server access logs (Apache, Nginx, or similar) for POST requests to the plugin's endpoint containing 'process_handler' or 'import_api' parameters, especially from unauthenticated IP addresses.Affected if Unauthenticated POST requests to the vulnerable endpoint appear in the logs.
You are affected if the plugin version is 2.0.3 or earlier OR if you discover unauthorized Administrator accounts that you did not create.
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 2.0.4 or later which implements proper capability checks on the process_handler() function and restricts the import functionality to authenticated administrators. Also audit for any unauthorized admin accounts created by potential exploiters.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-5288 — 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-2025-5288 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