Plugin Name	Tickera
Type of Vulnerability	Broken access control
CVE Number	CVE-2025-67939
Urgency	Medium
CVE Publish Date	2026-01-18
Source URL	CVE-2025-67939

Urgent Security Advisory: Broken Access Control in Tickera Plugin — Immediate Action Required

Date: January 16, 2026
CVE ID: CVE-2025-67939
Impacted Versions: Tickera plugin versions up to and including 3.5.6.2
Patched Version: 3.5.6.3 or later
CVSS v3.1 Score: 6.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N)
Reported By: daroo (reported October 24, 2025)

At Managed-WP, a leading WordPress security expert and managed service provider, we are issuing this critical advisory to alert site owners, administrators, and security teams about a significant broken access control vulnerability discovered in the Tickera event ticketing plugin. Our goal is to provide clear insight into the risk, detection, and comprehensive mitigation strategies to help you secure your WordPress site without delay.

This vulnerability enables users with Subscriber-level access to perform restricted administrative functions. Given the typical event ticketing workflows where publicly registering accounts is common, attackers can exploit this flaw to distort ticket inventories, manipulate orders, or perform unauthorized changes — threatening your site’s integrity, revenue, and reputation.

Below, we detail the nature of the vulnerability, exploitation possibilities, immediate remediation recommendations, detection guidance, and security best practices, all with a professional security perspective focused on US businesses.

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Executive Summary

• Issue: Broken access control in Tickera plugin versions ≤3.5.6.2 allows Subscriber users to execute unauthorized actions.
• Why it matters: Compromises can lead to ticket fraud, unauthorized refunds, event tampering, and operational disruption.
• At-risk sites: Any WordPress installation using vulnerable Tickera plugin versions with user registration enabled.
• Immediate action required: Update Tickera to version 3.5.6.3 immediately; apply virtual patching/WAF rules if update delay is unavoidable.
• Long-term steps: Harden user roles, enable comprehensive monitoring, enforce strict access controls, and maintain rapid patching cycles.

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Background: Why Ticketing Plugins Are High-Value Targets

Ticketing plugins like Tickera handle sensitive operations including payment data, order processing, seat assignment, and event management. They expose numerous REST and AJAX endpoints that facilitate front-end user interactions. These characteristics make them prime targets for attackers seeking to exploit low-privilege user workflows to gain unauthorized control.

Broken access control bugs arise when permission checks are improperly implemented or missing, allowing attackers to escalate privileges beyond their intended scope. This type of vulnerability is especially concerning in financial transaction contexts such as ticket sales.

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Understanding the Vulnerability

The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-67939 involves the Tickera plugin’s failure to validate user capabilities appropriately. As a result, Subscriber-level accounts—normally limited to minimal interaction—can invoke privileged actions. The CVSS vector details are as follows:

• AV:N — Exploitable remotely over the network
• AC:L — Low complexity for an attacker
• PR:L — Requires only low-level privileges
• UI:N — No interaction needed from other users
• Impact: No confidentiality loss, but high integrity impact (unauthorized modifications possible), no availability impact

In layman’s terms: anyone able to register as a subscriber user can potentially modify orders, events, tickets, or related administrative data, compromising your site’s trustworthiness.

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Potential Exploitation Scenarios

• Automated Account Registration Abuse: Attackers create mass Subscriber accounts and exploit vulnerable endpoints to manipulate ticket inventory and orders.
• Unauthorized Ticket Creation or Modification: Fraudulently increasing ticket availability or altering event details.
• Order Fraud or Refund Abuse: Illegitimate cancellations or refund actions performed without authorization.
• Event Information Tampering: Altering dates, capacities, pricing, or venue information to disrupt events.
• Stealth Fraudulent Campaigns: Quietly issuing bogus tickets for resale, damaging revenue and reputation.

The vulnerability’s low privilege requirement allows scalable automated attacks, making preventative action critical.

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Immediate Remediation Steps for Site Owners

1. Update the Tickera Plugin Immediately: Upgrade to version 3.5.6.3 or later via the WordPress dashboard, or manually replace plugin files. Testing updates on staging environments is recommended but prioritize security in production when necessary.
2. Apply Virtual Patching / WAF Rules if Updating is Delayed: Use a managed Web Application Firewall or server-level rules to block exploit vectors targeting Tickera’s admin and AJAX endpoints.
3. Temporarily Disable or Moderate User Registrations: Restrict or moderate new Subscriber registrations until the vulnerability is addressed.
4. Audit and Lock Suspicious Subscriber Accounts: Identify and restrict suspicious or recently created low-privilege users with unusual activity.
5. Rotate Administrator Credentials and Force Password Resets: Ensure all privileged accounts have new, strong credentials.
6. Review Recent Orders and Event Modifications: Investigate unusual or unauthorized activity from October 24, 2025, onward.
7. Retain Logs and Evidence for Forensics: Secure access logs, plugin logs, and audit trails before making changes.
8. Conduct a Full Malware and Integrity Scan: Inspect the filesystem and uploads directory for suspicious files or web shells.
9. Notify Payment Processors if Fraud is Suspected: Engage your provider’s fraud teams to minimize financial exposure.
10. Implement Rate Limiting: Restrict excessive requests to Tickera endpoints to mitigate automated exploit attempts.

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Detection Techniques: How to Tell If Your Site Was Targeted

• Check for discrepancies in plugin file modification times or update logs.
• Analyze order and ticket changes for anomalies or unusual quantities.
• Audit new Subscriber accounts for rapid creation or suspicious activity patterns.
• Review audit logs for POST requests by Subscribers to administrative endpoints.
• Examine server access logs for repetitive or suspicious requests targeting Tickera.
• Monitor error logs for spikes in plugin-related exceptions.
• Look for unusual database entries or unauthorized modifications in ticket/order tables.
• Identify Indicators of Compromise such as unknown cron jobs, odd filenames, or unexpected external connections.

If indicators suggest compromise, immediately initiate an incident response process and contact a qualified WordPress security professional if needed.

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Incident Response Checklist for Confirmed Compromises

1. Preserve all logs and site snapshots before making any changes.
2. Put the site into maintenance mode or isolate from public access.
3. Reset all administrator passwords and rotate security keys.
4. Remove or suspend suspicious users and rotate API keys.
5. Run comprehensive malware and integrity scans on filesystems.
6. Restore the site from a known clean backup taken before the compromise.
7. Reinstall or upgrade the Tickera plugin to the fixed version.
8. Reissue credentials securely to legitimate users and inform affected customers.
9. Review server and firewall settings to block unauthorized access.
10. Conduct a forensic investigation to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.

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How Managed-WP Protects Your WordPress Site

Managed-WP offers a comprehensive, expert-driven WordPress security solution that protects your site against vulnerabilities like this Tickera issue through multiple layers of defense:

• Virtual Patching: Rapid deployment of rules blocking exploit attempts against vulnerable plugin endpoints.
• Behavioral-Based Detection: Signature and anomaly analysis to identify suspicious request patterns specific to plugin functionality.
• Role-Aware Blocking: Heuristics that prevent privilege escalation attempts from low-level user sessions.
• Rate Limiting & Throttling: Protects against mass registration and automated scanning attacks.
• Detailed Logging & Alerts: Transparency through actionable insights into blocked attempts and suspicious activities.
• Concierge Onboarding & Expert Support: Guidance on mitigation steps, remediation assistance, and continuous security advice.

If you’re not currently utilizing Managed-WP protections, implementing virtual patching remains the fastest and most effective line of defense while you manage plugin updates.

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Practical Mitigation Measures You Can Implement Immediately

• Temporarily Disable Public User Registration: Navigate to Settings → General and uncheck “Anyone can register.” Enable manual approval or email verification if registration must remain open.
• Restrict Administrative Access by IP: Use server-level controls (e.g., nginx or Apache) to limit /wp-admin/ and plugin admin access to trusted IPs only. Example nginx snippet:

location /wp-admin/ {
    allow 203.0.113.0/32;  # replace with your trusted administrative IP address
    deny all;
}

• Limit Unauthenticated REST API Access: Disable or throttle REST endpoints if anonymous access is not essential.
• Minimize Subscriber Capabilities: Utilize role editor plugins to restrict Subscriber permissions to the bare minimum.
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication for Admins: Adds a critical second layer to prevent credential misuse.
• Enforce Strong Password Policies: Require complex, frequently rotated passwords for all privileged users.
• Disable Unnecessary Plugin Features: Temporarily turn off “guest” functionalities or unused API endpoints until safe updates are applied.

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Long-Term Security Strategies and Best Practices

1. Maintain a Swift Patch Cycle: Address critical plugin updates within hours or days, employing staging environments where feasible.
2. Leverage Managed WAF with Virtual Patching: Maintain robust protection layers that block known attack vectors between patch releases.
3. Apply Principle of Least Privilege: Grant capabilities conservatively, avoiding elevated permissions for low-level accounts.
4. Automate and Verify Backups: Implement encrypted, offsite backups with routine restoration testing.
5. Enable Comprehensive Monitoring and Alerts: Track changes to files, settings, and user activities continuously.
6. Limit Public Exposure of Debug and Version Info: Prevent attackers from gathering reconnaissance data that assists exploitation.
7. Maintain Active Vendor Communication: Subscribe to security advisories, and develop contingency plans for critical plugins.
8. Conduct Regular Penetration Tests: Verify enforcement of role boundaries and security controls for business-critical workflows.

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Quick-Reference Checklist for Tickera Users

• Immediate update to Tickera 3.5.6.3 (or later).
• Enable Managed-WP’s WAF or other virtual patching if patching is delayed.
• Disable or moderate public account registration temporarily.
• Audit and manage Subscriber account activity and creation.
• Review all ticket orders and event changes for anomalies.
• Force rotation of administrator credentials and API keys.
• Perform malware scans and filesystem inspections.
• Implement rate limiting on all plugin-related endpoints.
• Preserve logs, backups, and forensic evidence.
• Notify customers promptly if fraudulent activity impacted orders or tickets.

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Communication with Customers: Transparency Matters

If your site was impacted, clearly communicate with affected customers. Provide a transparent overview of what occurred, which data or transactions were affected, and how you are addressing the issue. Offer remediation through refunds or replacement tickets, and furnish contact information for assistance. Work closely with payment processors to limit fraud and disputes.

A prompt and transparent approach preserves trust and reduces confusion.

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Developer Guidance: Best Practices for Secure Plugin Development

• Always verify user capabilities using current_user_can() before sensitive operations.
• Protect state-changing actions with WordPress nonces to prevent CSRF.
• Limit access to administrative and AJAX endpoints to properly authorized users.
• Implement rigorous unit and integration tests to cover privilege boundaries.
• Maintain a formal, timely security disclosure and response process.

Plugin developers must assume attackers will test any publicly reachable endpoints, ensuring strict authorization is the default.

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Concluding Remarks

This Tickera vulnerability underscores the critical importance of robust access controls in WordPress plugins—especially those managing financial transactions and user-generated content. Event ticketing systems carry heavy operational and reputational stakes, and any gap in authorization carries significant risk.

If you operate a site with Tickera, treat this advisory with utmost urgency: update immediately or employ Managed-WP’s virtual patching safeguards. Security is an ongoing process—detect, prevent, patch, and continuously improve. Managed-WP’s security specialists are available to assist with assessment and remediation tailored to your site.

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Why Choose Managed-WP for WordPress Security

Managed-WP specializes in WordPress threat mitigation, including broken access controls, injection attacks, cross-site scripting, and automated abuse. Our expert-crafted, regularly updated WAF rules, behavioral analytics, and role-aware protections provide immediate risk reduction while you deploy vendor fixes. With Managed-WP, you gain expert guidance and hands-on remediation services that go beyond typical hosting or plugin-level protections.

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Protect Your WordPress Event Site Now — Get Started with Managed-WP

Managed-WP offers a free Basic plan providing essential security foundations: managed firewall, unlimited bandwidth, a Web Application Firewall (WAF), malware scanning, and coverage for OWASP Top 10 risks. This free tier provides automated baseline protections, helping you safeguard your site immediately while you plan and implement patching.

Explore Managed-WP’s Basic Plan here: https://managed-wp.com/pricing

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Additional Resources & Next Steps

• Update Tickera plugin immediately to 3.5.6.3 or newer.
• Implement Managed-WP WAF virtual patches if patching delays occur.
• Audit user accounts and order history for suspicious behavior.
• Preserve evidence and engage professionals if compromise is suspected.
• Contact Managed-WP’s security team for guidance or emergency assistance.

Rapid, informed action will reduce potential damage and accelerate recovery.

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If this advisory helped you secure your site, please share it with your development and admin teams. For immediate security protection, start with Managed-WP’s Basic plan today at https://managed-wp.com/pricing — industry-grade defenses ready from day one.

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Take Proactive Action — Secure Your Site with Managed-WP

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