CVE-2025-23513 Overview
CVE-2025-23513 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the bible-embed WordPress plugin by jd7777. The flaw allows attackers to chain CSRF with Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) [CWE-352]. An attacker who tricks an authenticated administrator into visiting a crafted page can persist malicious JavaScript inside the plugin's stored content. The injected script then executes in the browser of any user who loads the affected page. The issue affects all versions of Bible Embed from n/a through 0.0.4.
Critical Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can persist arbitrary JavaScript in a WordPress site by coercing an authenticated administrator to submit a forged request, leading to session theft, account takeover, and site defacement.
Affected Products
- WordPress plugin: Bible Embed (bible-embed) by jd7777
- Versions: all releases up to and including 0.0.4
- WordPress sites running the plugin with an authenticated administrator session
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-01-16 - CVE-2025-23513 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-23513
Vulnerability Analysis
The Bible Embed plugin exposes administrative actions that accept input used to render content on the site. These actions do not verify a WordPress nonce or other anti-CSRF token. An attacker hosts a crafted HTML page that auto-submits a form to the vulnerable endpoint on the target WordPress site. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker page, the browser sends the request with valid session cookies. The plugin processes the request and stores attacker-controlled data without sanitization or output encoding. The stored payload is later rendered in pages or posts, executing JavaScript in the context of the WordPress origin.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of CSRF protection on state-changing requests handled by the plugin, combined with insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on stored values. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() for CSRF defense and wp_kses_post() or esc_attr() for output encoding, but the plugin does not apply these controls on the affected handler.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires user interaction from an authenticated administrator. The attacker delivers a phishing link, malicious advertisement, or compromised third-party page containing a hidden form or fetch() call targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoint. No credentials, privileges, or local access are required for the attacker. The scope changes because the injected script executes in the trusted WordPress origin and can access cookies, the REST API, and the admin interface. See the Patchstack advisory for full technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23513
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script>, onerror=, or onload= content in posts, widgets, or options created by the Bible Embed plugin
- New or modified WordPress administrator accounts following an admin browsing session
- Outbound requests from site visitors to unfamiliar domains hosting attacker JavaScript
- HTTP referrers from external domains pointing to plugin admin endpoints in web server access logs
Detection Strategies
- Review database tables wp_posts and wp_options for entries containing HTML event handlers or <script> tags associated with plugin content
- Inspect web server logs for POST requests to plugin endpoints with Referer headers from external origins
- Run WordPress security scanners that flag known CSRF and stored XSS signatures in installed plugins
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on administrator account creation, role changes, and plugin or theme file modifications
- Monitor outbound traffic from end-user browsers loading site pages for connections to unknown JavaScript hosts
- Enable WordPress audit logging for plugin settings changes and content updates
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23513
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the Bible Embed plugin until a patched version is released
- Audit all content managed by the plugin and remove any embedded scripts or event handlers
- Force a password reset for all WordPress administrator accounts and invalidate active sessions
- Review recent administrator activity and plugin or theme installations for unauthorized changes
Patch Information
No fixed version is listed in the advisory. Bible Embed versions up to and including 0.0.4 are affected. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the plugin repository for an updated release.
Workarounds
- Uninstall the plugin and replace its functionality with a maintained alternative
- Restrict administrator browsing on the WordPress host to trusted sites only, reducing CSRF exposure
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that requires a valid Referer or Origin header matching the WordPress site for plugin admin requests
- Apply a Content Security Policy (CSP) that blocks inline scripts and limits script sources to trusted origins
# Configuration example: remove the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate bible-embed
wp plugin delete bible-embed
# Example CSP header to limit stored XSS impact (set in web server config)
# Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
