CVE-2025-23869: CJ Custom Content CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-23869 Overview

CVE-2025-23869 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the CJ Custom Content WordPress plugin (cj-custom-content) developed by shibulijack. This vulnerability allows attackers to chain CSRF with Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), enabling malicious actors to inject persistent scripts into the affected WordPress site by tricking authenticated administrators into performing unintended actions.

Critical Impact

This chained CSRF-to-Stored-XSS vulnerability can allow attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of authenticated users, potentially leading to session hijacking, administrative account takeover, and website defacement.

Affected Products

• CJ Custom Content WordPress Plugin version 2.0 and earlier
• WordPress sites utilizing the cj-custom-content plugin
• All installations running versions from n/a through <= 2.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-16 - CVE CVE-2025-23869 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23869

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability combines two distinct attack vectors: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The CJ Custom Content plugin fails to implement proper CSRF token validation on critical administrative functions, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that execute when an authenticated administrator visits an attacker-controlled page.

The lack of nonce verification in the plugin's form handling mechanisms means that state-changing operations can be triggered without proper authorization checks. When combined with insufficient input sanitization, attackers can inject malicious JavaScript payloads that persist in the WordPress database and execute whenever the affected content is rendered.

The attack requires user interaction, as the victim administrator must visit a malicious page or click a crafted link while authenticated to the WordPress site. However, once the payload is stored, it will execute for any user viewing the compromised content, significantly amplifying the attack's impact.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the absence of CSRF protection mechanisms in the CJ Custom Content plugin's administrative functionality. WordPress provides built-in nonce functions (wp_nonce_field() and wp_verify_nonce()) specifically designed to prevent CSRF attacks, but the plugin fails to implement these protections.

Additionally, the plugin does not properly sanitize user input before storing it in the database, nor does it escape output when rendering content. This dual failure enables the complete attack chain from CSRF to persistent XSS exploitation.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker would craft a malicious HTML page containing a hidden form that submits data to the vulnerable WordPress plugin endpoint. When an authenticated administrator visits this page, the form automatically submits, bypassing the lack of CSRF validation. The submitted payload contains malicious JavaScript that gets stored in the WordPress database.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Attacker identifies a WordPress site running the vulnerable CJ Custom Content plugin
2. Attacker crafts a malicious page with an auto-submitting form targeting the plugin's administrative endpoints
3. Attacker tricks an authenticated WordPress administrator into visiting the malicious page
4. The form submits without CSRF validation, storing malicious XSS payload
5. The stored script executes for any user viewing the affected content

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23869

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected custom content entries or modifications in the WordPress database
• JavaScript code present in CJ Custom Content plugin data fields
• Suspicious administrator session activity or unauthorized plugin settings changes
• Server logs showing form submissions to plugin endpoints from external referrers

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress database for unexpected script tags or JavaScript event handlers in content fields
• Review web server access logs for POST requests to CJ Custom Content endpoints with unusual referrer headers
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to detect and block inline script execution attempts
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to identify CSRF attack patterns targeting WordPress plugins

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging to track administrative changes to custom content
• Configure alerts for content modifications made without corresponding administrator dashboard sessions
• Monitor for cross-origin form submissions targeting WordPress administrative endpoints
• Review plugin-related database tables for suspicious content patterns regularly

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23869

Immediate Actions Required

• Disable or deactivate the CJ Custom Content plugin until a patched version is available
• Review existing custom content entries for any injected malicious scripts
• Audit administrator accounts for signs of compromise or unauthorized activity
• Implement additional web application firewall rules to block suspicious requests to the plugin

Patch Information

As of the published vulnerability data, the CJ Custom Content plugin versions from n/a through 2.0 are affected. Users should monitor the plugin repository and the Patchstack vulnerability database for updates regarding a security patch. If the plugin is not actively maintained, consider migrating to an alternative solution.

Workarounds

• Remove or deactivate the CJ Custom Content plugin if it is not essential to site operations
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to mitigate XSS impact
• Configure web application firewall rules to validate CSRF tokens and block suspicious form submissions
• Limit administrator sessions to trusted IP addresses and require re-authentication for sensitive operations
• Consider using a WordPress security plugin that provides virtual patching capabilities

# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate cj-custom-content

# Check for suspicious content in the database (adjust table name as needed)
wp db query "SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE '%cj_custom%' AND option_value LIKE '%<script%'"

# Implement CSP header in .htaccess (Apache)
# Add to .htaccess file:
# Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"