CVE-2025-62998: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-62998 is a Sensitive Data Exposure vulnerability (CWE-201: Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data) in the WP AI CoPilot WordPress plugin developed by WP Messiah. It affects all versions up to and including 1.2.7, allowing authenticated low-privileged users to retrieve embedded sensitive data via sent communications. The vulnerability was reported on November 8, 2025, and publicly disclosed on December 8–18, 2025. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 (Medium), assigned by Patchstack (Patchstack, Red Hat CVE).

The root cause is classified as CWE-201 (Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data), meaning the plugin inadvertently embeds sensitive data — such as API keys or configuration secrets — within data transmitted to authenticated users. The attack vector is network-based, requires low privileges (e.g., Contributor or Developer role), no user interaction, and has a changed scope, indicating the impact crosses security boundaries beyond the vulnerable component. No public proof-of-concept exploit code has been identified at this time (Patchstack, Red Hat CVE).

Successful exploitation allows a low-privileged authenticated attacker to access sensitive information — such as embedded API keys or credentials — that would not normally be accessible to regular users. This confidentiality breach could enable further attacks, including unauthorized use of exposed API keys to interact with AI services or other integrated systems. Integrity and availability are not directly impacted by this vulnerability (Patchstack).

No active in-the-wild exploitation has been reported, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The EPSS score is approximately 0.027%, indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. Patchstack classifies this as low priority, noting it is unlikely to be exploited, though they caution that vulnerabilities of this class are sometimes used in mass-exploit campaigns targeting WordPress plugins at scale (Patchstack, Red Hat CVE).

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites running the WP AI CoPilot plugin (plugin slug: ai-co-pilot-for-wp) version 1.2.7 or earlier, using tools like WPScan or by checking the plugin's readme.txt file at https://target.com/wp-content/plugins/ai-co-pilot-for-wp/readme.txt.
2. Obtain low-privileged access: Register or log in as a Contributor or higher-level user on the target WordPress site.
3. Trigger data transmission: Interact with the plugin's AI CoPilot functionality (e.g., submitting queries or accessing plugin-specific endpoints) to trigger responses that include embedded sensitive data.
4. Extract sensitive information: Inspect the HTTP responses (e.g., via browser developer tools or a proxy like Burp Suite) for embedded sensitive data such as API keys, tokens, or configuration secrets included in the plugin's sent data.
5. Leverage extracted data: Use any recovered API keys or credentials to access external AI services or other integrated systems beyond the WordPress installation (Patchstack).

• Logs: WordPress access logs showing authenticated low-privileged users (Contributor/Developer roles) making repeated or unusual requests to WP AI CoPilot plugin endpoints.
• Network: HTTP responses from the WordPress server containing unexpected embedded tokens, API keys, or credential strings in plugin-related API calls.
• File System: No specific file-based IOCs are known for this vulnerability, as exploitation is passive (data retrieval only).
• User Activity: Unusual activity from Contributor-level accounts accessing AI CoPilot features outside of normal usage patterns (Patchstack).

The vendor has released version 1.2.8 of the WP AI CoPilot plugin, which resolves this vulnerability. Site administrators should update the plugin to version 1.2.8 or later immediately. Patchstack users can enable auto-update for vulnerable plugins as an additional safeguard. If an immediate update is not possible, restricting Contributor and Developer role access to the plugin's functionality is a temporary mitigation (Patchstack).

The vulnerability was discovered and reported by security researcher benzdeus through Patchstack's vulnerability disclosure program. Coverage has been limited to automated vulnerability tracking platforms and security feeds, with no notable broader media coverage or significant community discussion identified (Patchstack).