CVE-2025-1314: Custom Twitter Feeds Plugin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1314 Overview

CVE-2025-1314 affects the Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 2.2.5. The vulnerability is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) flaw [CWE-352] caused by missing or incorrect nonce validation in the ctf_clear_cache_admin() function. Unauthenticated attackers can reset the plugin's cache by tricking a site administrator into clicking a crafted link or visiting a malicious page. Successful exploitation requires user interaction from an authenticated administrator. The impact is limited to integrity loss through cache manipulation rather than data disclosure or code execution.

Critical Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can force a WordPress administrator to unknowingly clear the plugin's tweet feed cache through a forged HTTP request, disrupting feed content delivery on affected sites.

Affected Products

Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget plugin for WordPress
All versions up to and including 2.2.5
WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin with active administrator sessions

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-20 - CVE-2025-1314 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1314

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the ctf_clear_cache_admin() function within the plugin's core PHP file custom-twitter-feed.php. This administrative function is responsible for clearing the cached Twitter/X feed data used by the plugin to reduce API load. The function does not verify a WordPress nonce token before executing the cache-clearing operation, which violates the WordPress security model for state-changing administrative actions.

Because the request lacks anti-CSRF protection, any HTTP request to the endpoint from an authenticated administrator's browser will trigger the action. An attacker can host a page containing a hidden form or image tag that issues the request. When an administrator visits the attacker-controlled page or clicks a malicious link, their browser automatically includes the session cookies, causing the WordPress site to accept the request as legitimate.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing nonce validation in ctf_clear_cache_admin(). WordPress provides wp_verify_nonce() and check_admin_referer() helpers specifically to prevent CSRF on privileged actions. The vulnerable code paths, referenced at lines 810, 833, and 1014 of custom-twitter-feed.php, execute the cache reset without confirming the request originated from a legitimate admin form submission. The remediation was applied in WordPress plugin changeset 3254840.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an unauthenticated remote attacker to deliver a link, email, or web page containing an auto-submitting request targeting the vulnerable admin endpoint. A logged-in WordPress administrator must visit the malicious content while their session is active. No credentials, prior access, or elevated privileges are required from the attacker. Impact is limited to clearing the plugin cache, which can cause temporary feed disruption and potentially force unnecessary Twitter/X API requests when the cache repopulates.

No verified public exploit code is available. The vulnerability mechanism follows standard WordPress CSRF patterns where an admin-triggered GET or POST request executes without nonce verification. See the Wordfence Vulnerability Report and WordPress Plugin Source Code for technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1314

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected clearing of the Custom Twitter Feeds plugin cache with no corresponding administrator action in logs
HTTP referrer headers on admin requests pointing to external domains rather than the WordPress admin panel
Repeated Twitter/X API calls originating from the site following unauthorized cache resets
WordPress admin actions triggered from browser sessions immediately after visiting external links

Detection Strategies

Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to track invocations of ctf_clear_cache_admin() and correlate against expected admin workflows
Inspect web server access logs for requests to the plugin's admin endpoints lacking a valid WordPress admin referrer
Monitor for administrator-initiated requests where the request origin does not match wp-admin pages

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on cache-clearing events for the Custom Twitter Feeds plugin occurring outside change windows
Track outbound Twitter/X API request volume for anomalous spikes following suspected forced cache resets
Log and review administrator session activity from unusual IP addresses or user-agent strings

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1314

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Custom Twitter Feeds plugin to a version newer than 2.2.5 that includes the fix from changeset 3254840
Audit WordPress administrator accounts and terminate active sessions for accounts that may have visited untrusted links
Restrict administrator browsing habits by using dedicated browser profiles or sessions for WordPress admin activity

Patch Information

The vendor patched the vulnerability in WordPress Changeset #3254840. The fix adds proper nonce validation to the ctf_clear_cache_admin() function. Site administrators should update through the WordPress plugin dashboard or download the current release from the WordPress Plugin Developer page.

Workarounds

Deactivate the Custom Twitter Feeds plugin until the patched version can be installed
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule to block requests to the plugin's cache-clearing endpoint that lack a valid WordPress admin referrer
Require administrators to log out of WordPress before browsing external sites to limit CSRF exposure
Apply the principle of least privilege by using editor-level accounts for content tasks that do not require administrator rights

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) to block suspicious cache-clear requests
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains ctf_clear_cache" \
  "id:1002025,phase:2,deny,status:403,\
   chain,msg:'CVE-2025-1314 CSRF attempt blocked'"
  SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Referer "!@beginsWith https://your-site.example/wp-admin/"