Plugin Name	Forminator
Type of Vulnerability	Broken Access Control
CVE Number	CVE-2025-14782
Urgency	Low
CVE Publish Date	2026-01-08
Source URL	CVE-2025-14782

Broken Access Control Vulnerability in Forminator (≤ 1.49.1) — Essential Actions for WordPress Site Owners

Summary: A critical broken access control vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-14782 impacts Forminator plugin versions up to and including 1.49.1. This flaw permits authenticated users assigned Forminator roles to export form entry data as CSV without sufficient authorization checks. The issue is resolved in Forminator 1.49.2. This advisory, brought to you by the Managed-WP security team, offers a detailed technical breakdown, risk evaluation, detection signals, and practical mitigation strategies to protect your site immediately.

Written by seasoned WordPress security professionals at Managed-WP, this guide emphasizes actionable, expert recommendations to help you secure your site from this vulnerability.

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Executive Summary

• The vulnerability allows users authenticated with limited Forminator roles to export form submissions without appropriate permissions.
• Affected versions: Forminator ≤ 1.49.1
• Resolved in: Version 1.49.2
• CVE ID: CVE-2025-14782
• Urgency Level: Low — though potentially impactful depending on data sensitivity
• CVSS Example Score: 5.3 (Network exploitable, low privileges needed, high confidentiality impact)
• Immediate Step: Update Forminator to version 1.49.2 or later. If unable to upgrade immediately, apply the mitigations described below, including access restrictions and firewall rules.

While flagged as a low priority, the risk profile varies with installed form data; sites collecting personally identifiable information or payment details may face serious data exposure.

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Technical Breakdown

Forminator enables building forms and managing entries, including a feature to export submission data as CSV files. The vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization checks on the export functionality. Authenticated users with Forminator-specific roles—who are not necessarily administrators—could invoke the export process without validating sufficient privileges or nonce verification, potentially exposing sensitive submission content.

• Authenticated accounts with Forminator roles can access the export endpoint.
• No enforced capability check or nonce validation limits export access.
• Exported data may include sensitive information such as names, emails, messages, PII, or financial metadata depending on form configuration.

The root cause is missing or incomplete enforcement of access control policies.

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Why This Vulnerability Matters

Broken access control exposures are among the most serious security classes due to their capacity to expose sensitive data or allow inappropriate actions by low-privileged users.

Potential impacts include:

• Data Leakage: Form submissions often contain sensitive PII and financial information that could be aggregated and extracted by unauthorized users.
• Compliance Violations: Unauthorized data access risks breaching privacy and data protection laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and PCI-DSS.
• Social Engineering Risks: Exposed contact data could fuel phishing attacks and scams.
• Lateral Threats: Access to sensitive data can lead to further compromise by revealing credentials or secret keys.

Exploit Complexity: Low to medium. Requires an authenticated account with Forminator-associated roles, increasing risk for sites with broad user registration or role assignment policies.

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Detection Indicators — What to Look For Now

• Unusual spike in POST or GET requests hitting Forminator export endpoints, identifiable in server logs or security event records.
• Downloads of CSV export files by non-administrative users.
• New roles or permissions assigned to users around suspicious activity windows.
• Exposure from unfamiliar IP addresses or multiple user agents performing exports.
• Host or security alert notifications indicating abnormal data access or downloads.

Immediate Action: Preserve all relevant server and application logs before performing any forensic investigations.

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Immediate Mitigation Recommendations for Site Owners and Administrators

1. Upgrade Forminator to 1.49.2 or Higher
   • This upgrade addresses the root cause and is the definitive fix.
2. Temporary Mitigations if Upgrade is Delayed
   • Implement firewall rules to block export endpoints from users lacking admin-level access.
   • Disable CSV export features via plugin settings if available.
   • Review and restrict Forminator-related privileges granted to non-admin users.
   • Temporarily limit user registrations or disable public sign-ups.
   • Rotate passwords and API keys for potentially compromised accounts.
3. Monitor and Audit Activity
   • Review logs continuously for signs of export abuses.
   • Enable comprehensive logging for form and site access.
   • Keep forensic snapshots of relevant files and logs in case of incident response needs.
4. Compliance Communication
   • If PII was compromised, consult legal guidance on breach notification requirements immediately.

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How Managed-WP Secures Your Site

At Managed-WP, our WordPress security experts deploy comprehensive layered defenses including:

1. Virtual Patching and Rule-Based Protection
   • Custom WAF rules to detect and block unauthorized access to Forminator export functions.
   • Proactive virtual patches delivered ahead of plugin updates to shield against exploit attempts.
2. Role and Endpoint Enforcement
   • Strict role-based access controls with rules requiring administrative privileges for export actions.
3. Anomaly Detection and Alerts
   • Behavioral monitoring flags abnormal export/download patterns and issues real-time alerts.
4. Auto-Update and Security Hygiene Support
   • Managed updates with compatibility testing on staging environments to minimize downtime.
5. Post-Incident Analysis and Remediation Assistance
   • Containment support—account suspensions, credential resets, and forensic data collection.

Clients with Managed-WP’s protection layers would have had their exposure minimized or eliminated throughout the vulnerable window.

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Developer Best Practices for Fixing Broken Access Control

If you develop plugins or custom functionality involving export features, adhere to these security principles:

1. Strict Capability Enforcement
   • Validate user capabilities strictly (e.g., current_user_can('manage_options') or custom export permissions assigned only to trusted roles).
2. Nonce Use for Export-Related Actions
   • Use wp_nonce_field() and wp_verify_nonce() to protect against CSRF and request forgery.
3. Secure REST API Permissions
   • Register permission callbacks that validate capability checks on REST endpoints.
   • Avoid overly broad or permissive permission callbacks.
4. Least Privilege Principle
   • Assign roles and capabilities minimally, explicitly documenting all permission grants.
5. Limit Data Exposure
   • Export only required fields and anonymize or exclude sensitive information when possible.
6. Audit & Automated Testing
   • Implement unit and integration tests verifying access restrictions on export functions.

Example safe authorization check pseudo-code:

// Example export authorization
if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) {
    wp_die( 'You do not have permission to export entries.', 403 );
}
if ( ! isset( $_REQUEST['_wpnonce'] ) || ! wp_verify_nonce( $_REQUEST['_wpnonce'], 'forminator_export' ) ) {
    wp_die( 'Invalid request nonce.', 403 );
}
// Proceed with export logic

Note: This is an illustrative snippet; developers should adapt authorization checks consistent with their plugin’s role and capability architecture.

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Recommended WAF Rules for Administrators

Until you update, consider implementing the following firewall configurations:

• Block or require additional authentication for CSV export endpoints when accessed by users without administrative privileges.
• Limit excessive export/download requests from a single user in a short timeframe.
• Require multi-factor authentication or additional custom challenges for export operations.
• Geo-restrict access to export endpoints based on your organization’s typical operational regions.
• Protect scheduled export endpoints with authentication headers to prevent unauthorized triggering.

Example pseudo-rule:

• If URI contains /forminator/v1/entries/export AND user role is not administrator THEN return HTTP 403 Forbidden.

Important: Test firewall rules carefully in staging to avoid disrupting legitimate admin workflows.

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Detection & Incident Response Checklist

1. Log Preservation: Secure web server, WordPress debug, and WAF logs covering the relevant time period.
2. Impact Assessment: Identify which forms and users were involved in exports, timestamps, and IP addresses.
3. Containment: Temporarily disable export endpoints and suspend or reset credentials for suspicious users.
4. Patching: Perform immediate plugin upgrade to latest secure version.
5. Remediation: Remove suspicious accounts, scan site for backdoors or malware, verify no unauthorized admin additions.
6. Notification: Engage legal/compliance teams if personal data exposure is confirmed.
7. Review & Hardening: Audit role assignments, strengthen access controls, deploy 2FA, and secure onboarding processes.
8. Restore if Needed: Consider site restoration from clean backups in severe cases.

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Post-Remediation Validation

• Confirm Forminator plugin version is 1.49.2 or newer in the admin dashboard.
• Test CSV export functionality from non-admin accounts to verify restrictions are enforced.
• Validate firewall rules allow legitimate exports but block unauthorized attempts.
• Check recent logs for absence of suspicious export or download activity.

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Long-Term Security Best Practices

• Enforce least privilege principles when assigning site and plugin roles.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (2FA) for all accounts with administrative access.
• Control user registrations with email verifications and manual admin approvals.
• Deploy and maintain Web Application Firewalls with virtual patching capabilities for zero-day exposures.
• Implement a rigorous plugin update policy: test on staging, then deploy in production with monitoring.
• Maintain regular backups and validated restore procedures.
• Schedule periodic malware scans and penetration testing, especially on high-risk sites.
• Centralize logging and monitoring with alert configurations for unusual data exports.

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Why “Low” Severity Shouldn’t Lead to Complacency

Classifying this vulnerability as low severity relates primarily to exploit complexity and scope; however, the ability for unauthorized data export carries potential for major privacy and legal consequences. Always evaluate severity in the context of your own site’s data sensitivity and user role policies.

Key considerations:

• Do your forms collect any personally identifiable or sensitive payment data?
• Are non-admin users granted access to plugin features or admin-like interfaces?
• Do you manage multiple sites or services under shared credentials or environments?

If you answered yes to any, apply all recommended mitigations and upgrades promptly.

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Resources & References

• CVE-2025-14782: Forminator Broken Access Control (fixed in 1.49.2)
• Forminator Plugin Changelog for version 1.49.2
• WordPress Development Best Practices on Capabilities, Nonces, and REST Endpoint Permissions
• Server and WAF Logs – Essential for incident triage and investigation

More detailed technical support and remediation assistance can be provided through Managed-WP’s professional support services.

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Priority Remediation Checklist

1. Update Forminator to version 1.49.2 or later immediately.
2. If unable to update, activate WAF protections or disable export features temporarily.
3. Review and tighten Forminator privileges for non-admin users.
4. Audit and monitor site logs for unauthorized export activity.
5. Enable multi-factor authentication and rotate sensitive credentials if suspicious activity is detected.
6. Consider leveraging Managed-WP’s managed security services for virtual patching and ongoing protection.

If in doubt about your site’s status or mitigation steps, contact Managed-WP’s security team for guided remediation and monitoring support.

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To request mitigation assistance, export audit, customized WAF rules, and forensic analysis from Managed-WP’s security experts, connect via your Managed-WP dashboard or sign up for our free plan here: https://my.wp-firewall.com/buy/wp-firewall-free-plan/

Protect your WordPress site proactively — security negligence can lead to irreversible breaches.

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