What the vulnerability does
01Description
The ZoxPress - The All-In-One WordPress News Theme theme for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the 'backup_options' and 'restore_options' functions in all versions up to, and including, 2.12.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to update arbitrary options on the WordPress site. This can be leveraged to update the default role for registration to administrator and enable user registration for attackers to gain administrative user access to a vulnerable site.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
ZoxPress through version 2.12.0 fails to properly check user permissions before allowing access to sensitive functions. A logged-in user with low privileges can perform actions restricted to administrators, including modifying site content, changing settings, or accessing confidential data. All sites running the affected theme should update immediately.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
A low-privilege logged-in user can perform admin-level actions like modifying content, changing settings, or accessing sensitive data.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
Any registered user on your site can escalate their access to perform administrative functions without proper authorization.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have a valid WordPress user account with low privileges (e.g., subscriber or contributor role).
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
February 12, 2025
CVE published
April 8, 2026
Record updated
