CVE-2025-23476: My-Related-Posts CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-23476 Overview

CVE-2025-23476 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the WordPress my-related-posts plugin developed by isnowfy. This vulnerability allows attackers to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks by exploiting the lack of proper CSRF protection in the plugin's functionality. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, injects persistent malicious scripts into the WordPress site.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to inject persistent malicious JavaScript into WordPress sites, potentially leading to admin session hijacking, website defacement, malware distribution to visitors, and complete site compromise.

Affected Products

• WordPress my-related-posts plugin version 1.1 and earlier
• All WordPress installations running vulnerable versions of the my-related-posts plugin

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-16 - CVE-2025-23476 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23476

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability combines two distinct attack vectors: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The my-related-posts plugin fails to implement proper CSRF token validation on administrative actions, allowing attackers to submit unauthorized requests on behalf of authenticated administrators.

When an administrator visits a malicious page while logged into WordPress, the attacker can submit a forged request to the plugin's settings or content management functions. This request can include malicious JavaScript payloads that get stored in the database and subsequently rendered to all site visitors, creating a persistent XSS condition.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery), which describes the lack of proper validation that submitted requests are intentionally made by the authenticated user.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of nonce verification in the my-related-posts plugin's form handling functions. WordPress provides built-in CSRF protection through nonces (number used once), but the plugin developers failed to implement these security checks. Without nonce validation, the plugin cannot distinguish between legitimate requests from authenticated users and forged requests initiated by attackers.

Additionally, the plugin lacks proper output encoding and input sanitization, allowing malicious scripts to be stored and executed in the context of the vulnerable WordPress site.

Attack Vector

The attack requires social engineering to lure an authenticated WordPress administrator to a malicious webpage controlled by the attacker. The attack flow proceeds as follows:

1. The attacker identifies a WordPress site running the vulnerable my-related-posts plugin version 1.1 or earlier
2. The attacker creates a malicious webpage containing a hidden form or JavaScript that automatically submits a forged request to the target WordPress admin panel
3. The forged request includes XSS payloads in parameters that the plugin stores without proper sanitization
4. When the administrator visits the attacker's page while logged in, the browser automatically submits the forged request with the administrator's session cookies
5. The malicious script is stored in the database and executed whenever the affected page is viewed

The vulnerability requires no authentication from the attacker but relies on an authenticated administrator to trigger the malicious request. For detailed technical information, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23476

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected JavaScript code or <script> tags appearing in WordPress database entries related to related posts functionality
• Unusual outbound network connections from visitor browsers to unknown external domains
• Administrator reports of unexpected behavior after visiting external links
• Modified plugin settings without administrator action

Detection Strategies

• Review WordPress database tables for suspicious JavaScript or HTML content in fields managed by the my-related-posts plugin
• Monitor HTTP requests to WordPress admin endpoints for missing or invalid nonce parameters
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect XSS payloads in POST requests targeting the plugin
• Use file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes to plugin files or database content

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging to track all administrative actions and plugin setting changes
• Configure alerts for modifications to the my-related-posts plugin settings
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution and detect XSS attempts
• Monitor server access logs for suspicious patterns of requests to vulnerable plugin endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23476

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate and remove the my-related-posts plugin from all WordPress installations until a patched version is available
• Audit WordPress database for any stored XSS payloads that may have been injected through this vulnerability
• Review administrator access logs for suspicious activity that may indicate exploitation
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to block CSRF and XSS attacks targeting WordPress plugins

Patch Information

As of the last modification date, no official patch has been released for the my-related-posts plugin. Users are advised to consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest updates on patch availability. Consider replacing this plugin with an actively maintained alternative that provides similar functionality with proper security controls.

Workarounds

• Remove the my-related-posts plugin entirely and replace with a secure alternative
• Implement additional CSRF protection at the web server or WAF level to reject requests without valid tokens
• Restrict WordPress admin access to trusted IP addresses to limit the attack surface
• Use browser extensions or policies that block automatic form submissions from untrusted domains

# WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate my-related-posts --path=/var/www/html/wordpress

# Verify the plugin is deactivated
wp plugin list --status=inactive --path=/var/www/html/wordpress

# Optional: Remove the plugin entirely
wp plugin delete my-related-posts --path=/var/www/html/wordpress