CVE-2025-1671

Critical

Published: 01 March 2025

Published

01 March 2025

Modified

15 April 2026

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 9.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0019 41.0th percentile

Risk Priority 20 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2025-1671 is a critical-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel (CWE-288) vulnerability in Themeforest (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 41.0th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 IA-12 (Identity Proofing) and IA-8 (Identification and Authentication (Non-organizational Users)).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) and 1 other technique. What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

IA-8 Identification and Authentication (Non-organizational Users) good match

prevent

Mandates robust identification and authentication for non-organizational users, directly countering the plugin's failure to verify identity in the Facebook authentication function allowing unauthenticated privilege escalation.

IA-12 Identity Proofing good match

prevent

Requires identity proofing prior to authentication or account association, addressing the core flaw of inadequate user identity verification before granting access as any user including administrators.

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

Ensures timely flaw remediation in software components like the vulnerable WordPress plugin, preventing exploitation of the privilege escalation vulnerability through patching.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access

Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.

attack.mitre.org →

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation

Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.

attack.mitre.org →

Why these techniques?

Auth bypass in public-facing WordPress plugin enables unauthenticated network login as any user (incl. admins), directly facilitating T1190 (public app exploitation) and T1068 (priv esc via vuln).

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v18.1

NVD Description

The Academist Membership plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.6. This is due to the academist_membership_check_facebook_user() function not properly verifying a user's identity prior to authenticating them. This makes it possible…

for unauthenticated attackers to log in as any user, including site administrators.

Deeper analysisAI

CVE-2025-1671 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Academist Membership plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.1.6. The flaw arises in the academist_membership_check_facebook_user() function, which does not properly verify a user's identity before authenticating them. Published on 2025-03-01, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and maps to CWE-288.

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network with low attack complexity and no user interaction or privileges required. Exploitation enables attackers to log in as any user, including site administrators, granting high levels of confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Advisories provide further details, including the Wordfence threat intelligence report at https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/911a9550-1f62-4f28-9d8c-00d9769949c9?source=cve and the plugin listing on ThemeForest at https://themeforest.net/item/academist-a-modern-learning-management-system-and-education-theme/22376830.