CVE-2025-62996: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-62996 is a Missing Authorization (Broken Access Control) vulnerability in the WordPress plugin "Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy" by Code Amp. It allows authenticated users with low privileges (Contributor or Developer level) to perform actions beyond their intended authorization level. All versions up to and including 1.4.12 are affected; version 1.5.0 contains the fix. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (Medium), and was published on December 9, 2025 (Patchstack).

The root cause is classified as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), meaning the plugin fails to properly verify whether an authenticated user has the required permissions before executing certain privileged actions. This falls under OWASP Top 10 A1: Broken Access Control. An attacker with at least Contributor-level access to a WordPress site can exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels to trigger functionality reserved for higher-privileged roles. No complex attack conditions are required — the attack vector is network-based, requires low privileges, and no user interaction (Patchstack).

Successful exploitation allows a low-privileged authenticated user to perform unauthorized actions within the WordPress plugin, resulting in a low integrity impact with no confidentiality or availability impact. The scope is limited to the affected WordPress installation, and the vulnerability does not directly enable remote code execution or data exfiltration. However, in a multi-user WordPress environment, contributors could manipulate layout configurations or content grids beyond their intended permissions (Patchstack).

No public proof-of-concept exploit code or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for this vulnerability. The EPSS score is approximately 0.017%, indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Patchstack classifies this as low priority with unlikely exploitation impact, though it notes that broken access control vulnerabilities of this class are sometimes used in mass-exploit campaigns targeting WordPress plugins at scale (Patchstack).

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites running the "Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy" plugin at version 1.4.12 or earlier, using tools like WPScan or by inspecting plugin metadata in publicly accessible readme files.
2. Obtain low-privileged access: Register or obtain Contributor-level credentials on the target WordPress site (e.g., through open registration or social engineering).
3. Identify unprotected endpoints: Probe the plugin's AJAX actions or admin endpoints that lack proper capability checks, which would normally be restricted to higher-privileged roles such as Editor or Administrator.
4. Send unauthorized request: Craft and submit an HTTP request (e.g., a POST to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the relevant plugin action parameter) that invokes the privileged functionality without triggering an authorization failure.
5. Achieve unauthorized action: Successfully execute the higher-privileged action (e.g., modifying layout configurations or grid settings), resulting in unauthorized content manipulation on the site (Patchstack).

• Logs: WordPress access logs showing POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with plugin-specific action parameters originating from Contributor-level user accounts.
• Logs: Unexpected modifications to layout or grid configurations in the WordPress database (wp_posts or plugin-specific tables) attributed to low-privileged user accounts.
• File System: Unexplained changes to plugin-managed layout templates or configuration files not initiated by an Administrator or Editor.
• Process/Behavior: Contributor-level users accessing or modifying plugin settings pages that should be restricted to higher roles, visible in WordPress audit log plugins (e.g., WP Activity Log).

The vendor (Code Amp) has released version 1.5.0 of the "Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy" plugin, which resolves this vulnerability. Site administrators should update to version 1.5.0 or later immediately via the WordPress plugin dashboard. If an immediate update is not possible, consider restricting Contributor-level user registration or using a WordPress security plugin such as Patchstack (which offers virtual patching) to mitigate the risk in the interim (Patchstack).

The vulnerability was discovered and reported by security researcher "daroo" and disclosed through Patchstack's Vulnerability Disclosure Program on December 5, 2025. Patchstack classified it as low priority with unlikely exploitation impact. No significant broader media coverage or notable community commentary has been identified beyond the Patchstack advisory (Patchstack).