Web & WordPress Security Pulse – Week of November 14, 2025

A new report shows 108 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem (plugins + themes) disclosed by 5 Nov 2025; of these, 77 have patches, 31 remain unpatched.

Among the worst offenders: the plugin Post SMTP (400k+ installs) had a flaw (CVE‑2025‑11833, CVSS 9.8) that allowed unauthenticated attackers to read email logs and thus hijack admin accounts.

Another high‑risk one: King Addons for Elementor, with two vulnerabilities (CVE‑2025‑6327 at 10/10; CVE‑2025‑6325 at 9.8) enabling file upload & privilege escalation on ~10k sites.

You build with WordPress, manage plugin ecosystems, and advise clients/own sites: these issues don’t just affect “premium” sites, they hit everyday sites everywhere.

The fact that nearly one‑third of disclosed flaws remain unpatched means the “weak link” is often delayed/neglected, not an inability.

Exploits like email‑log theft (Post SMTP) show how non‑core parts of WP (plugins, logging) can become attack vectors. That means you need to treat every plugin update as security maintenance, not optional.

If you manage multiple sites or build for clients, this underscores the need for centralised patch‑management, strong plugin vetting, and an incident‑ready posture.

Immediately audit all active plugins & themes across your WP sites: mark those with open/unpatched CVEs (e.g., the 31 still unpatched).

Set up update monitoring or automation (e.g., enable auto updates where safe, or test updates weekly).

Review logging‑plugins, access controls, email‑plugins, especially: these tend to be overlooked but are exploited.

Build a checklist for any new plugin: vendor activity, update frequency, code‑review reputation, and installed base size.

Assume breach possibility: ensure backups are clean, admin accounts restricted, 2‑factor enabled, and permissions minimised.

Major browsers released critical updates: Google Chrome 142 and Mozilla Firefox 145 on 13 November 2025. These address multiple high‑severity vulnerabilities (e.g., CVE‑2025‑13042, memory‑safety/JavaScript engine issues).

For Firefox ESR 140.5, several high-severity bugs in graphics, WebAssembly, audio/video components (CVE‑2025‑13012, 13016…) were patched.

As a WordPress developer and web engineer, your end‑users rely on browsers. A security flaw in the browser can undermine your site’s defence (e.g., bypassing the sandbox, drive‑by exploit).

Many plugin vulnerabilities assume the attacker can escalate from script to system; if you, as the site owner, also assume safe browser behaviour, you’re missing a link.

Web‑development choices (heavy use of WebAssembly, WebGPU, third‑party JS) now face increased scrutiny because the browser attack surface is rising (note the WebGPU vulnerabilities).

Ensuring your site degrades gracefully, uses secure headers (CSP, X‑Frame, etc), and doesn’t rely on browser trust alone becomes even more important.

Update development machines, staging servers, and test browsers to the latest stable versions (Chrome 142, Firefox 145) so you replicate the user environment.

During QA of themes/plugins: test in updated browsers, review usage of newer APIs (WebGPU, WebAssembly) for extra caution.

Audit client sites for browser compatibility & security headers; ensure you’ve got fallback logic for older browsers too.

Educate clients that “update your browser” is part of their risk profile, and site security isn’t just about the server.

A national‑scale initiative, dubbed Project TRIVENI (India), has been launched to develop an AI‑powered framework that automatically detects and remediates web‑application vulnerabilities.

The project aims to reduce manual intervention windows, enable self‑evolving defence systems, and respond much faster to new flaw disclosures and exploitation campaigns.

On one level, this is a macro‑trend: the automation of vulnerability detection/remediation. As a developer/engineer, you must expect that attackers will increasingly use AI and defenders will deploy AI.

For WordPress and web‑dev work, this signals a shift: vendors/modules that embed automated detection/patching will become a baseline expectation, and if you’re building or recommending plugins/themes, this capability might move from “nice‑to‑have” to “must‑have”.

From a strategic vantage: your service offering (security consulting for WordPress, plugin auditing, etc) needs to account for this acceleration. If a large project can auto‑detect flaws, the value of human manual auditing shifts; they’ll expect deeper, more nuanced guarding (business logic vulnerabilities, architecture flaws, supply‑chain risks).

For clients, the selling point changes: “We have managed patching” won’t suffice; you may need “We have AI‑assisted vulnerability monitoring” or equivalent. Anticipating competitor offerings will raise the bar.

Evaluate your current toolkit: Do you use any AI‑based vulnerability scanners for WordPress sites (e.g., plugin‑review, dependency scanning)? Consider integrating or at least monitoring the field.

Update your service narrative: when you pitch for security services or site audits, weaving in “we align with the upcoming AI‑defence shift” adds credibility and future‑proofing.

Keep track of what Project TRIVENI (and similar) outputs: if open‑source modules or libraries are released, you could integrate early. What gets built here may become a standard you’ll need to support or integrate.

From your own site‑portfolio (WordPress builds, plug‑in dev, sec audits): consider positioning yourself toward “architecture + plugin health + AI‑assisted monitoring” rather than simply “secure plugin installation”.

WordPress Security Update – November 2025 by Developress

Exploited Post SMTP Plugin Flaw Exposes WordPress Sites to Takeover by SecurityWeek

Another Major WordPress Add-On Security Flaw Could Affect 10,000 Sites by TechRadar

Firefox 145 & Chrome 142 Patch High-Severity Flaws in Latest Releases by SecurityWeek

Mozilla Security Advisory 2025‑88 by Mozilla

Project TRIVENI AI-Based Cybersecurity Initiative by The Economic Times