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A critical vulnerability in the Post SMTP WordPress plugin, tracked as CVE-2025-11833, has exposed over 400,000 WordPress sites to potential account and website takeover. The flaw, present in all plugin versions up to and including 3.6.0, stems from missing capability checks in the __construct function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reset passwords for any user, including administrators. Wordfence, which received the initial bug report via its bounty program, has already blocked more than 4,500 attack attempts, and exploitation activity has accelerated since early November.
Security researchers warn that at least 210,000 sites remain at risk, with attackers leveraging the vulnerability to access password reset messages and hijack admin accounts. Website owners are strongly advised to update to the patched version released on October 29 or disable the plugin to prevent compromise. The incident follows a previous security issue (CVE-2025-24000) affecting the same plugin, highlighting ongoing risks for sites relying on outdated or unpatched WordPress extensions.
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4 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Shortly after disclosure, defenders detected active abuse of the vulnerability, with more than 4,500 attacks observed. Reports warned that between roughly 210,000 and 400,000 WordPress sites could be at risk depending on plugin deployment counts.
Intrusions exploiting the Post SMTP flaw were reported to be underway from the beginning of November. The attacks target exposed email logs to obtain password reset links and hijack WordPress administrator accounts.
The plugin maintainers released an update on Oct. 29 to fix CVE-2025-11833. Administrators were advised to update immediately or disable the plugin to prevent exploitation.
A critical broken access control vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-11833, was identified in the Post SMTP WordPress plugin. The issue affects versions 3.6.0 and older and can expose logged emails, including password reset messages, enabling account takeover and full site compromise.
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Threat actors are actively exploiting critical vulnerabilities in popular WordPress plugins and themes, enabling the hijacking of administrator accounts and full site compromise. The Post SMTP plugin, installed on over 400,000 WordPress sites, is affected by CVE-2025-11833, a flaw that allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary logged emails, including password reset messages, due to missing authorization checks. This exposure enables attackers to reset admin passwords and take over sites. Wordfence has observed over 4,500 exploit attempts since November 1, and a patch was released in version 3.6.1, but a significant number of sites remain unpatched and vulnerable. Similarly, the JobMonster WordPress theme is being targeted via CVE-2025-5397, an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows attackers to hijack admin accounts when social login is enabled. The flaw arises from improper verification in the `check_login()` function, letting attackers fake admin access if they know the username or email. The issue is fixed in version 4.8.2, and users are urged to update, disable social login, and enable two-factor authentication. These incidents highlight the ongoing risk posed by unpatched WordPress components and the need for immediate mitigation to prevent site compromise.
Jun 29, 2026
Multiple critical flaws in widely deployed WordPress plugins exposed sites to administrator takeover through broken REST API authorization, weak JWT handling, and sensitive data leakage. In **Post SMTP**, `CVE-2025-24000` let any authenticated user read administrator-only email logs in versions through `3.2.0`, while `CVE-2025-11833` extended similar exposure to unauthenticated attackers in versions through `3.6.0`; because password reset messages were stored in those logs, attackers could reset admin passwords and seize control of affected sites. **RestroPress** (`CVE-2025-9209`) exposed user tokens through `/wp-json/wp/v2/users`, enabling forged JWTs and full admin access, and **miniOrange OAuth SSO** (`CVE-2025-9485`) accepted forged JWTs because signatures were not verified, allowing login as arbitrary users including administrators. **Copypress Rest API** (`CVE-2025-8625`) combined a hard-coded JWT signing key with unrestricted file upload to enable unauthenticated remote code execution. The pattern continued into active exploitation of **Gravity SMTP** (`CVE-2026-4020`), where an unauthenticated REST API endpoint exposed system reports containing WordPress and server details, plugin inventories, database information, and email-service credentials such as API keys, secrets, and OAuth tokens. Wordfence said exploitation required only a single request, reported blocking more than **17 million** attempts, and urged defenders to upgrade to `2.1.5` and rotate exposed third-party email credentials. Across the affected plugins, vendors issued fixes including **Post SMTP 3.3.0**, **miniOrange 6.26.13**, and **Gravity SMTP 2.1.5**, while the Copypress plugin was temporarily closed; the incidents underscore how exposed REST endpoints and flawed token validation can quickly turn routine plugin features into full site compromise paths.
Jun 29, 2026
Multiple **WordPress plugins** were flagged for severe vulnerabilities that could let attackers take over sites through unauthenticated file upload, SQL injection, arbitrary file deletion, and authorization bypass. References point to issues in plugins including **WP Duplicate**, **Ninja Forms File Upload**, **Ultimate Member**, **Product Addons for WooCommerce**, **CleanTalk Spam Protect**, **Ally**, **Perfmatters**, and **Kali Forms**, alongside identifiers such as **`CVE-2024-48930`**, **`CVE-2025-13192`**, and **`CVE-2026-1104`**. Several flaws were described as allowing arbitrary plugin installation, malicious file upload, or direct database manipulation, creating a path to remote code execution and full site compromise. Wordfence reports indicate the exposure spans **hundreds of thousands of WordPress sites**, with some bugs already under **active exploitation**. The most serious cases include an unauthenticated SQL injection flaw in the **Ally** plugin affecting roughly **400,000 sites**, an arbitrary file deletion issue in **Perfmatters** affecting about **200,000 sites**, and active attacks targeting a critical flaw in **Kali Forms**. Taken together, the disclosures show a broad wave of high-impact plugin security failures that increase the risk of website defacement, malware deployment, data theft, and administrator-level compromise across the WordPress ecosystem.
Jul 12, 2026