CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-11522NVD status: Deferred

Search & Go - Directory WordPress Theme: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-11522 is a critical-severity authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in Search & Go - Directory WordPress Theme from Elated-Themes, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Search & Go - Directory WordPress Theme versions: 2.7 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.56% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Check which version of Search & Go - Directory WordPress Theme you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Elated-ThemesSearch & Go - Directory WordPress Theme2.7 and earlierNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (wordfence.com).

Official description

The Search & Go - Directory WordPress Theme theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via account takeover in all versions up to, and including, 2.7. This is due to insufficient user validation in the search_and_go_elated_check_facebook_user() function This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to gain access to other user's accounts, including administrators, when Facebook login is enabled. CVE-2025-62064 is likely a duplicate of this CVE.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

The product requires authentication, but the product has an alternate path or channel that does not require authentication.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Funnel all access through a single choke point to simplify how users can access a resource. For every access, perform a check to determine if the user has permissions to access the resource.

More Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities (CWE-288)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities

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