CVE-2025-23501: Cookie Consent CSRF/XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-23501 Overview

CVE-2025-23501 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the SpruceJoy Cookie Consent & Autoblock for GDPR/CCPA WordPress plugin that enables attackers to execute Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. This chained vulnerability allows malicious actors to trick authenticated administrators into submitting forged requests that inject persistent malicious scripts into the website.

The vulnerability exists due to insufficient CSRF token validation in the plugin's administrative functions, combined with inadequate output sanitization. When exploited, an attacker can inject JavaScript code that executes in the context of any user visiting the affected pages, potentially leading to credential theft, session hijacking, or further site compromise.

Critical Impact

This CSRF-to-Stored-XSS chain allows unauthenticated attackers to inject persistent malicious scripts via tricked administrators, affecting all site visitors and potentially compromising WordPress admin accounts.

Affected Products

• SpruceJoy Cookie Consent & Autoblock for GDPR/CCPA plugin version 1.0.1 and earlier
• WordPress installations using the cookie-consent-autoblock plugin
• All WordPress versions compatible with the vulnerable plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-16 - CVE-2025-23501 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23501

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a dangerous chained attack scenario combining two distinct web application security flaws. The initial attack vector leverages Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) due to missing or improper nonce verification in the plugin's settings forms. This allows an attacker to craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, modify plugin settings without proper authorization checks.

The second phase of the attack exploits insufficient input sanitization and output encoding in the plugin's configuration handling. When malicious JavaScript payloads are submitted through the CSRF attack, they are stored in the database without adequate sanitization. Subsequently, these scripts are rendered on pages without proper HTML entity encoding, resulting in Stored XSS execution.

The attack requires user interaction—specifically, an administrator must be tricked into clicking a malicious link or visiting a crafted page while authenticated. However, once the payload is stored, it affects all users who view the compromised content, amplifying the attack's impact significantly.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-23501 stems from two fundamental security oversights in the Cookie Consent & Autoblock plugin:

1. Missing CSRF Protection: The plugin's administrative forms and AJAX handlers lack proper WordPress nonce verification using functions like wp_verify_nonce() or check_admin_referer(). This allows external websites to submit forged requests on behalf of authenticated administrators.

2. Inadequate Output Sanitization: User-supplied data stored in plugin settings is not properly sanitized using WordPress escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() before being rendered in HTML output. This enables JavaScript injection that persists across page loads.

Attack Vector

The attack follows a network-based vector requiring user interaction. An attacker constructs a malicious webpage or email containing a hidden form or JavaScript that automatically submits a request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. The attack sequence proceeds as follows:

The attacker first identifies a WordPress site running a vulnerable version of the Cookie Consent & Autoblock plugin. They then craft a malicious HTML page containing an auto-submitting form targeting the plugin's settings endpoint with XSS payloads embedded in the configuration values.

When an authenticated WordPress administrator visits the attacker's page (via phishing, social engineering, or compromised advertising), the malicious form silently submits to the victim's WordPress site. Because the plugin lacks CSRF protection, WordPress processes the request as legitimate, storing the malicious JavaScript in the plugin's configuration.

Subsequently, any visitor to pages where the cookie consent functionality is rendered will have the malicious script executed in their browser context. For administrators, this could lead to account takeover; for regular visitors, it could result in credential harvesting, drive-by downloads, or redirection to malicious sites.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23501

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected JavaScript code present in Cookie Consent & Autoblock plugin settings or database entries
• Unusual administrator activity logs showing settings changes without corresponding legitimate admin sessions
• Browser security warnings or content security policy violations on pages displaying the cookie consent banner
• Reports from users experiencing unexpected redirects or pop-ups when visiting the site

Detection Strategies

• Review WordPress database tables for suspicious script tags or JavaScript event handlers in plugin options
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to detect and block unauthorized inline script execution
• Monitor WordPress admin activity logs for settings changes to the cookie-consent-autoblock plugin configuration
• Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect XSS payloads in POST requests to WordPress admin endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to track all administrative setting modifications with user attribution
• Configure real-time alerting for changes to security-sensitive plugin configurations
• Implement browser-side monitoring for CSP violation reports to identify XSS execution attempts
• Regularly scan WordPress installations using security plugins that check for known vulnerable plugin versions

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23501

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Cookie Consent & Autoblock for GDPR/CCPA plugin to the latest patched version immediately
• Review and audit existing plugin settings for any injected malicious scripts or suspicious content
• Force password resets for all WordPress administrator accounts as a precautionary measure
• Implement additional CSRF protection at the server or WAF level while awaiting a patch

Patch Information

Organizations should check the Patchstack Vulnerability Analysis for the latest patch information and update guidance. The vulnerability affects versions through 1.0.1, so ensure your installation is updated beyond this version. If no patch is available, consider temporarily deactivating the plugin until a security update is released.

Workarounds

• Temporarily deactivate the Cookie Consent & Autoblock plugin until a patched version is available
• Implement server-side CSRF protection using security plugins or custom middleware to validate all admin POST requests
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block requests containing common XSS payloads targeting WordPress admin endpoints
• Restrict WordPress admin access to trusted IP addresses or VPN connections to reduce the attack surface

# WordPress wp-config.php hardening example
# Add additional security headers and restrict admin access

# In .htaccess - Restrict wp-admin access by IP
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/wp-admin
RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} !^192\.168\.1\.100$
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ - [F,L]
</IfModule>

# Implement basic CSP header to mitigate XSS impact
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
Header set Content-Security-Policy "script-src 'self'; object-src 'none';"
</IfModule>