dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2025-9542

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
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 AutomatorWP – Automator plugin for no-code automations, webhooks & custom integrations in WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access and modification of data due to a missing capability check on multiple plugin's functions in all versions up to, and including, 5.3.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to modify integration settings or view existing automations.

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 AutomatorWP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Broken Access Control due to missing capability checks on multiple functions. Authenticated users with Subscriber-level access (the lowest WordPress role) can modify integration settings and view automations that should require higher-privilege permissions, such as administrator-level access.

MitigationUpdate the AutomatorWP plugin to version 5.3.8 or later which implements proper capability checks on the affected functions to enforce role-based access 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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 AutomatorWP plugin is installed
    Log into WordPress admin panel, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, and search for AutomatorWP in the list. Alternatively, check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for an automatorwp folder.
    Affected if The AutomatorWP plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify installed AutomatorWP version
    In Plugins > Installed Plugins, locate AutomatorWP and read the version number displayed beneath the plugin name. Alternatively, open the main plugin file (such as automatorwp.php) in a code editor or via file manager and locate the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 5.3.8 (vulnerable versions are any version prior to 5.3.8)
  3. Verify existence of low-privilege users
    In WordPress admin, navigate to Users > All Users and review the Role column for any users assigned the Subscriber role, which is the lowest privilege level in WordPress.
    Affected if At least one user with Subscriber role exists in the WordPress site

If AutomatorWP is installed, the version is below 5.3.8, and Subscriber-level users exist in WordPress, the environment is affected by CVE-2025-9542.

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 AutomatorWP plugin to version 5.3.8 or later which implements proper capability checks on the affected functions to enforce role-based access control.

Recommended fix High confidence

AutomatorWP version 5.3.8 or later

  1. Backup the WordPress site database and files before making any changes
  2. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins section
  3. Locate the AutomatorWP plugin in the installed plugins list
  4. Click 'Update now' on the AutomatorWP plugin if an update is available, or manually upload version 5.3.8 or later from the WordPress plugin repository
  5. Verify the plugin updated successfully by checking the version number in the Plugins list
  6. Confirm the update resolved the issue by ensuring Subscriber-level users cannot modify integration settings
Caveat Minor plugin updates typically have no breaking changes; always test on a staging site first

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2025-9542 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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