CVE-2025-1764: LoginPress WordPress Plugin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1764 Overview

The LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer plugin for WordPress contains a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in all versions up to and including 3.3.1. The vulnerability exists due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the custom_plugin_set_option function. This security flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to update arbitrary options on a WordPress site through a forged request, provided they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a malicious link.

Critical Impact

Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to update the default user registration role to administrator and enable user registration, effectively granting themselves administrative access to vulnerable WordPress sites.

Affected Products

• LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 3.3.1
• WordPress sites with WPBRIGADE_SDK__DEV_MODE constant set to true

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-14 - CVE-2025-1764 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1764

Vulnerability Analysis

This Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability stems from insufficient security controls in the LoginPress plugin's option handling mechanism. The custom_plugin_set_option function fails to properly validate nonce tokens, which are WordPress's primary defense against CSRF attacks. Nonces serve as unique tokens that verify the legitimacy of requests and ensure they originate from authenticated users performing intended actions.

The vulnerability's exploitation requires a specific configuration condition: the WPBRIGADE_SDK__DEV_MODE constant must be set to true. While this may limit the attack surface to development or staging environments, misconfigured production sites could also be affected.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing or improperly implemented nonce validation check within the custom_plugin_set_option function. WordPress plugins should validate nonces using functions like wp_verify_nonce() or check_admin_referer() before processing any state-changing requests. The absence of this validation allows attackers to forge requests that appear legitimate to the server.

Attack Vector

The attack follows a typical CSRF pattern where an attacker crafts a malicious webpage or link containing a forged request to the vulnerable endpoint. When an authenticated WordPress administrator visits the attacker's page or clicks the malicious link, their browser automatically includes their authentication cookies with the request, causing the WordPress server to process the attacker's forged request as if it were a legitimate administrative action.

The attacker can exploit this to modify critical WordPress options, most notably:

1. Changing the default user role for new registrations to "Administrator"
2. Enabling user registration if it was previously disabled
3. Potentially modifying other arbitrary site options

Once these changes are made, the attacker can simply register a new account on the site and gain full administrative privileges.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1764

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to WordPress user registration settings
• New administrator accounts created without legitimate authorization
• Modifications to the default_role option in the WordPress database
• User registration enabled when it should be disabled
• Suspicious activity in WordPress audit logs related to option changes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress options table for unauthorized modifications, particularly users_can_register and default_role options
• Implement file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized plugin changes
• Review web server access logs for suspicious POST requests to LoginPress plugin endpoints
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with CSRF detection capabilities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to track administrative actions
• Configure alerts for new user account creation, especially administrator accounts
• Monitor for modifications to critical WordPress configuration options
• Implement real-time security monitoring for WordPress administrative endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1764

Immediate Actions Required

• Update LoginPress plugin to a version newer than 3.3.1 that includes the security patch
• Verify that WPBRIGADE_SDK__DEV_MODE is not set to true in production environments
• Audit existing WordPress user accounts for unauthorized administrator accounts
• Review and correct WordPress registration settings if they have been modified
• Implement Content Security Policy headers to mitigate CSRF risks

Patch Information

A security patch addressing this vulnerability is available. The fix can be reviewed in the WordPress Trac Changeset. Site administrators should update to the latest version of the LoginPress plugin immediately. Additional details about this vulnerability are available in the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

• Remove or disable the WPBRIGADE_SDK__DEV_MODE constant if it is currently set to true
• Temporarily deactivate the LoginPress plugin until the update can be applied
• Implement additional CSRF protection at the web server or WAF level
• Restrict administrative access to trusted IP addresses only

# Verify WPBRIGADE_SDK__DEV_MODE is not enabled in wp-config.php
grep -r "WPBRIGADE_SDK__DEV_MODE" /path/to/wordpress/wp-config.php

# Check current WordPress default role setting
wp option get default_role

# Verify user registration status
wp option get users_can_register

# List all administrator accounts for review
wp user list --role=administrator