dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-5486

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-06
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 WP Email Debug plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the WPMDBUG_handle_settings() function in versions 1.0 to 1.1.0. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to enable debugging and send all emails to an attacker controlled address and then trigger a password reset for an administrator to gain access to an administrator account.

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 WP Email Debug plugin for WordPress versions 1.0 to 1.1.0 lacks a capability check on the WPMDBUG_handle_settings() function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to modify plugin settings. Attackers can enable debugging and redirect all outgoing emails to an attacker-controlled address, then trigger a password reset for an administrator and intercept the reset token to gain administrative access.

MitigationUpdate WP Email Debug to version 1.1.1 or later which adds proper capability checks; alternatively, disable the plugin until patched.

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 WP Email Debug plugin is installed
    Log in to WordPress admin and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for the wp-email-debug folder
    Affected if The plugin is present in the plugins directory or listed in the WordPress admin plugins list
  2. Determine the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate WP Email Debug; the version number is displayed under the plugin name. Alternatively, check the main plugin file (wp-email-debug.php) for the 'Version' header comment
    Affected if The version is 1.0, 1.1.0, or any version between 1.0 and 1.1.0 inclusive
  3. Confirm the plugin is active
    In WordPress admin > Plugins > Instored Plugins, check if WP Email Debug shows 'Active' status under the plugin name
    Affected if The plugin is active; inactive plugins do not expose the vulnerable function to unauthenticated requests
  4. Inspect email forwarding settings for unknown destinations
    Navigate to the plugin settings page (usually under Settings > Email Debug or similar) and examine any fields related to email forwarding, redirection, or debug email addresses. Check for unfamiliar or suspicious email addresses that were not configured by legitimate administrators
    Affected if Email forwarding is enabled and directed to an address you do not recognize or did not configure, indicating possible exploitation

You are affected if the WP Email Debug plugin is installed, active, and running at version 1.1.0 or earlier, or if you discover unauthorized email forwarding configurations in the plugin settings.

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 WP Email Debug to version 1.1.1 or later which adds proper capability checks; alternatively, disable the plugin until patched.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 1.1.1 or later

  1. 1. Backup your WordPress database and files before making any changes.
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard.
  3. 3. Locate the 'WP Email Debug' plugin in the list.
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 1.1.1 or later.
  5. 5. Alternatively, you can manually download the fixed version from the WordPress plugin repository and upload it via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is active and functioning correctly.
  7. 7. Check that the WPMDBUG_handle_settings() function now properly checks for user capabilities before allowing modifications.

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.

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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-2025-5486 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