CVE-2025-14998
📋 TL;DR
The Branda WordPress plugin has an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to reset passwords for any user account, including administrators. This enables complete account takeover and privilege escalation. All WordPress sites using Branda plugin versions up to 3.4.24 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Branda WordPress plugin
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site compromise with administrative access, data theft, malware installation, and defacement.
Likely Case
Administrative account takeover leading to data exfiltration, backdoor installation, or ransomware deployment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if strong network controls, WAF rules, and monitoring prevent exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP request manipulation can trigger the vulnerability. Public exploit code exists in security advisories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.4.25 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3429115/branda-white-labeling#file1749
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Branda plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 3.4.25+ from WordPress.org and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Branda Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate branda-white-labeling
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock requests to vulnerable endpoint
Block POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=branda_signup_password
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the Branda plugin immediately
- Implement strict network access controls to limit access to WordPress admin interfaces
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Branda version. If version is 3.4.24 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get branda-white-labeling --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Branda plugin version is 3.4.25 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=branda_signup_password
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful login from new IP
- Password reset events for administrative accounts
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php endpoint with user ID manipulation
- Traffic spikes to password reset functionality
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND (uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND post_data="action=branda_signup_password")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/branda-white-labeling/tags/3.4.24/inc/modules/login-screen/signup-password.php#L24
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3429115/branda-white-labeling#file1749
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ae46be82-570f-4172-9c3f-746b894b84b9?source=cve
