CVE-2025-6388
Published: 03 October 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-6388 is a critical-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel (CWE-288) vulnerability in Themespirit (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 in the top 36.6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and IA-2 (Identification and Authentication (Organizational Users)).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2025-6388 is an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting the Spirit Framework plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 1.2.14. The issue stems from the custom_actions() function failing to properly validate a user's identity before authenticating them to the site, as identified under CWE-288. It has been assigned 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), indicating critical severity due to its network accessibility, low complexity, and lack of prerequisites.
Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely if they know an administrator's username, allowing them to log in as any user, including administrators. Successful exploitation grants full access to the WordPress site, enabling attackers to perform privileged actions such as modifying content, installing malicious plugins, or exfiltrating data.
Advisories from Wordfence and the plugin developer's changelog at themespirit.com/talemy-changelog/ detail the vulnerability, with mitigation likely involving updating to a patched version beyond 1.2.14. Security practitioners should immediately review and update affected Spirit Framework installations.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-32563
Vulnerability details
The Spirit Framework plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.14. This is due to the custom_actions() function not properly validating a user's identity prior to authenticating them to the site. This…
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makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to log in as any user, including administrators, granted they have access to the administrator's username.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The vulnerability is an authentication bypass in a public-facing WordPress plugin, directly enabling exploitation of a public-facing application for unauthorized admin access.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Remediating the known authentication bypass flaw in the Spirit Framework plugin by applying vendor patches directly prevents exploitation allowing unauthenticated login as any user.
Requiring robust identification and authentication for organizational users prevents bypasses due to inadequate identity validation in plugin functions like custom_actions().
Enforcing approved access authorizations ensures proper identity validation before authentication, mitigating the plugin's failure to do so.