CVE-2025-23698 is a high-severity Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the WP Custom Google Search plugin, specifically affecting versions up to 1.0. This vulnerability allows attackers to perform stored XSS attacks, posing a significant risk to affected installations. The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 7.1, indicating a high level of severity and potential impact.
The risk to organizations includes unauthorized data manipulation and the potential for attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of users accessing the affected application. Given the nature of CSRF attacks, the vulnerability can be exploited remotely, with low complexity, requiring minimal privileges, and necessitating user interaction.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability. The public has been made aware of the issue since its publication on January 16, 2025. There are no known exploits or public proof-of-concept code at this time, but the risk remains significant.
The vulnerability has been classified under CWE-352, which refers to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF). Security teams are encouraged to apply appropriate security measures and updates to the WP Custom Google Search plugin to protect their systems.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit it through CSRF, leading to stored XSS vulnerabilities. The official description states that the issue affects the WP Custom Google Search plugin, specifically versions up to and including 1.0. The CVSS 3.1 vector string for this vulnerability is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L, indicating a network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction needed, and low impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate validation of user requests, which enables CSRF attacks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by tricking authenticated users into sending unauthorized requests to the application, leading to the execution of malicious scripts. The attack vector is classified as network-based, with low complexity, requiring no special privileges, but necessitating user interaction.
The impacts of this vulnerability are concerning, with low confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. However, the potential for exploitation in a real-world scenario can lead to severe consequences, including unauthorized access to user data and manipulation of application behavior.
Risk & Impact Analysis
The deployment of this vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations using the WP Custom Google Search plugin. With low attack complexity and the requirement for user interaction, the likelihood of successful exploitation is high, especially for users unaware of the risks. The blast radius includes all users of the plugin, emphasizing the importance of immediate remediation.
Organizations should schedule remediation as part of their priority patch cycle to mitigate any potential impacts. The associated CVSS score of 7.1 indicates a high level of urgency for addressing this vulnerability.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The vulnerability affects the WP Custom Google Search plugin, specifically all versions up to and including version 1.0. Organizations using this plugin should ensure they update to a patched version as soon as it becomes available.
Mitigation & Remediation
To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should monitor for updates from the WP Custom Google Search plugin vendor and apply patches immediately. In the absence of a patch, organizations may consider implementing additional security controls such as configuring firewalls to restrict unauthorized access and conducting regular security assessments.
For effective validation of remediation efforts, organizations should consider engaging in penetration testing to identify any lingering weaknesses.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should implement logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized actions potentially linked to CSRF vulnerabilities. Monitoring user behavior for anomalies and analyzing logs for unusual patterns can help identify attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The emergence of CVE-2025-23698 highlights the ongoing risk of CSRF vulnerabilities within widely-used plugins. Security teams should take this as a reminder to continuously assess their application security posture and implement robust security measures. Organizations may also benefit from reviewing their vulnerability management program to adapt to emerging threats effectively.
The vulnerability can also inform training for developers on secure coding practices, emphasizing the importance of input validation and CSRF protection mechanisms. Engaging in penetration testing methodology can further enhance their awareness of potential weaknesses.
Lastly, exploring resources on cloud security assessment can aid organizations in understanding the broader security landscape.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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