Critical Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in WordPress Motors Theme Actively Exploited

A critical privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2025-4322) in the WordPress Motors theme is being actively exploited in the wild, allowing attackers to hijack administrator accounts and take full control of affected websites. The vulnerability affects versions 5.6.67 and earlier of the Motors theme, which is popular among automotive dealership websites. Security researchers have observed mass exploitation attempts since June 7, 2025, with over 23,100 attack attempts blocked by Wordfence as of June 19¹.

Technical Analysis of the Vulnerability

The vulnerability exists in the theme’s password recovery functionality, specifically in the handling of the hash_check parameter. Attackers can send specially crafted values (such as %80 or %C0) to bypass validation checks and reset passwords for any user, including administrators¹. This flaw has been assigned a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical) due to its low attack complexity and high impact potential.

Security researchers have identified specific indicators of compromise (IoCs) associated with these attacks. These include HTTP requests to paths like /reset-password?user_id=1&hash_check=%C0 and the creation of new administrator accounts or legitimate administrators being locked out of their accounts¹. The most active attacker IPs observed include 198.2.233.90 (4,700+ requests) and 192.210.243.217 (3,600+ requests).

Impact and Post-Exploitation Risks

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability leads to complete site compromise. Attackers can upload malware, steal sensitive data from databases, and establish persistent backdoors². The Motors theme is primarily used by automotive dealerships for managing vehicle listings, making affected sites particularly attractive targets for financial fraud and data theft.

SecurityWeek reports that compromised sites have been observed serving malware and SEO spam, while BleepingComputer notes that approximately 22,000 WordPress installations are potentially vulnerable^{2, 3}. The vulnerability was initially disclosed on May 19, 2025, with mass exploitation beginning on June 7, 2025³.

Detection and Mitigation

Organizations using the Motors theme should immediately update to version 5.6.68 or later, which contains the security patch. For those unable to update immediately, Wordfence has released firewall rules to block exploitation attempts¹.

Security teams should audit their WordPress installations for the following indicators of compromise:

Unauthorized password reset requests containing stm_new_password in POST data
New administrator accounts or changes to existing user privileges
Requests to /reset-password with unusual hash_check values

For potentially compromised sites, Help Net Security recommends a complete restoration process including removal of malicious files, resetting all credentials (WordPress, database, and hosting), and thorough security audits⁴.

Relevance to Security Professionals

This vulnerability presents both offensive and defensive considerations. The unauthenticated nature of the exploit makes it particularly dangerous for defenders, while the high success rate and widespread exploitation make it valuable for threat actors. Security teams should prioritize patching vulnerable systems and monitoring for the specified IoCs.

The attack vector also highlights the risks associated with third-party WordPress themes and plugins, which often have less rigorous security review processes than core WordPress components. Organizations should implement strict controls on theme and plugin usage, including regular security updates and vulnerability monitoring.

Conclusion

The active exploitation of CVE-2025-4322 in the WordPress Motors theme represents a significant threat to organizations using this popular automotive theme. With over 23,000 attack attempts already observed and the potential for complete site compromise, immediate action is required to mitigate risks. Security teams should prioritize updating vulnerable installations, monitoring for compromise indicators, and implementing additional security controls for WordPress environments.

As WordPress remains one of the most widely used content management systems, vulnerabilities in popular themes and plugins continue to be attractive targets for attackers. This incident serves as another reminder of the importance of maintaining rigorous patch management processes for all website components.