Privilege Escalation in Eventin Plugin Exposes WordPress Sites to Admin Takeover

A Critical Misstep in Access Control

Account Takeover Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation

Privilege management failures can be devastating—especially when they allow unauthenticated users to escalate directly to administrator roles. The Eventin plugin for WordPress, commonly used for managing event registrations and calendars, was recently found to contain a severe privilege escalation vulnerability. Versions up to and including 4.0.26 are affected. BitFire’s runtime defenses offer proactive safeguards against this class of exploit by enforcing strict access controls at the code execution layer.

View CVE Report: CVE-CVE-2025-47539

View On WordPress.org: wordpress-eventin-privilege-escalation-vulnerability

View On Trac: plugins.trac.wordpress.org

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Eventin

"Eventin is a feature-rich event management plugin for WordPress that helps site administrators create, manage, and promote events using a visual builder and booking system. It supports RSVPs, calendars, WooCommerce integration, and automated workflows."

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• Manage recurring and single-day events with calendar integration
• Enable RSVPs, ticketing, and guest management
• Sync event data with Zoom and Google Calendar
• Drag-and-drop builder for front-end customization

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Whether you run live or virtual events, this event organizer plugin for WordPress is your all-in-one event solution to easily manage event calendar, event RSVP, event planning

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The Gory Details

The vulnerability in the Eventin plugin is categorized under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment. In affected versions up to 4.0.26, insufficient access validation during account creation or role management allows attackers to escalate privileges without authentication. As a result, an unauthenticated user may assign themselves administrative permissions and gain full control over the WordPress site. No user interaction is required to exploit the flaw, and it is remotely accessible over the network.

Mitigating the Risk

Themewinter addressed the issue in version 4.0.27. All administrators running vulnerable versions should update immediately. Additionally, site owners should audit their user tables for unauthorized administrator accounts and inspect recent privilege assignments for anomalies.

Why BitFire?

BitFire’s Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) engine monitors sensitive database operations, particularly those involving privilege escalation and user account creation. Any attempt to elevate privileges or insert new administrator accounts is blocked unless the request originates from an authenticated user with verified administrative access. This layer of control prevents exploitation even in cases where plugin logic fails to enforce privilege boundaries.

The Bottom Line

Privilege escalation vulnerabilities are among the most impactful threats facing WordPress sites today. In plugins with administrative functionality, improper access control can enable complete site compromise. BitFire ensures that even if a plugin fails to perform adequate role checks, its RASP policies enforce strict access rules at runtime—blocking unauthorized privilege changes before they take effect.