dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-69184

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in e-plugins Institutions Directory institutions-directory allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Institutions Directory: from n/a through <= 1.3.4.

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

A missing authorization (broken access control) vulnerability in the e-plugins Institutions Directory WordPress plugin (versions <= 1.3.4) allows authenticated or unauthenticated attackers to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels, potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive institutional data or administrative functions that should be protected.

MitigationUpdate to the latest version of the Institutions Directory plugin when a patched release becomes available; until then, restrict access at the web server or WAF level and audit user roles and capabilities.

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
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

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

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. Check installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate the Institutions Directory plugin. The version number is displayed below the plugin name. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file header or the readme.txt file in the plugin directory for the Version field.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.3.4 or lower.
  2. Verify plugin is active
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and confirm the Institutions Directory plugin is activated. Also check if any of its shortcodes or widgets are in use on live pages.
    Affected if The plugin is active and publicly accessible pages use its functionality.
  3. Identify plugin admin AJAX or REST endpoints
    Examine the plugin directory (wp-content/plugins/e-plugins-institutions-directory or similar naming) for PHP files containing wp_ajax_ or wp_ajax_nopriv_ hooks, register_rest_route calls, or admin-post.php handlers. Note any endpoints that handle sensitive operations.
    Affected if The plugin exposes AJAX or REST endpoints that process requests without verifying user capabilities.
  4. Test endpoint access control with low-privilege or anonymous requests
    Using a tool like curl or Burp, send requests to identified plugin endpoints while authenticated as a subscriber-level user, or without any authentication (logged out). Compare the response to authorized requests. Check if sensitive data is returned or administrative actions execute.
    Affected if Requests without proper authorization or from low-privileged users return sensitive institutional data or execute administrative functions.
  5. Review plugin capability checks
    Search plugin PHP files for current_user_can, wp_get_current_user, or capability checks. Note any functions or actions that lack these verification calls before processing sensitive operations.
    Affected if Critical functions lack current_user_can() checks or perform actions based solely on request parameters without validating user permissions.

Your environment is affected if the Institutions Directory plugin version is 1.3.4 or lower AND the plugin is active with publicly accessible endpoints that lack proper authorization checks, allowing unauthenticated or low-privileged users to access sensitive data or administrative functions.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to the latest version of the Institutions Directory plugin when a patched release becomes available; until then, restrict access at the web server or WAF level and audit user roles and capabilities.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-69184 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
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