Optional Email <= 1.3.11 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation to Account Takeover

9.8
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE CVE-2025-15018
CVSS 9.8 (Critical)
Publicly Published January 6, 2026
Last Updated January 7, 2026
Researcher Drew Webber (mcdruid)

Description

The Optional Email plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover in all versions up to, and including, 1.3.11. This is due to the plugin not restricting its 'random_password' filter to registration contexts, allowing the filter to affect password reset key generation. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to set a known password reset key when initiating a password reset, reset the password of any user including administrators, and gain access to their accounts.

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Vulnerability Details for Optional Email

Software Type Plugin
Software Slug optional-email (view on wordpress.org)
Patched? No
Remediation No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
Affected Version
  • <= 1.3.11

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