CVE-2025-13542
Published: 02 December 2025
Description
The DesignThemes LMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.4. This is due to the 'dtlms_register_user_front_end' function not restricting what user roles a user can register with. This makes it possible…
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for unauthenticated attackers to supply the 'administrator' role during registration and gain administrator access to the site.
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Enforces least privilege by restricting user registration to minimal roles, directly preventing self-assignment of administrator privileges.
Requires validation of user-supplied role parameters in the registration function to block unauthorized privilege escalations.
Mandates secure account management processes that prohibit unauthenticated users from assigning themselves elevated roles during registration.
Security SummaryAI
CVE-2025-13542 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the DesignThemes LMS plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.0.4. The flaw arises in the 'dtlms_register_user_front_end' function, which does not restrict the user roles that can be specified during registration. This allows attackers to assign themselves elevated privileges, such as administrator, upon creating an account. The vulnerability is rated critical with 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 is associated with CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management). It was published on 2025-12-02.
Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely with low complexity and no user interaction required. By submitting a registration request with the 'administrator' role parameter, they gain immediate administrator access to the WordPress site. This enables full control, including arbitrary code execution, data exfiltration, site modification, or further lateral movement within the environment.
Mitigation details are outlined in advisories such as the Wordfence threat intelligence report at https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c880470f-3f81-47a2-b450-7074410e9f43?source=cve. Additional context on the plugin is available via its ThemeForest page at https://themeforest.net/item/egrad-education-wordpress-theme/42803015. Security practitioners should verify patch availability and update the plugin if a fixed version exists beyond 1.0.4.
Details
- CWE(s)
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Unauthenticated remote exploitation of a public-facing WordPress plugin vulnerability enables initial access (T1190) and privilege escalation to administrator (T1068).