CVE-2025-23871: LSD Google Maps Embedder CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-23871 Overview

CVE-2025-23871 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the LSD Google Maps Embedder WordPress plugin developed by Bas Matthee. This vulnerability allows attackers to trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions by exploiting the lack of proper CSRF token validation in the plugin's administrative functions.

The vulnerability exists in versions up to and including 1.1 of the plugin, which can be chained with Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) to achieve a more severe attack scenario. An attacker could craft a malicious web page that, when visited by an authenticated WordPress administrator, would silently execute unauthorized actions within the plugin's settings.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this CSRF vulnerability to modify plugin settings and potentially inject malicious scripts, leading to a CSRF-to-Stored XSS attack chain that could compromise WordPress site administrators.

Affected Products

• LSD Google Maps Embedder WordPress Plugin versions through 1.1
• WordPress installations with the lsd-google-maps-embedder plugin enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-16 - CVE-2025-23871 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-23871

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from insufficient CSRF protection mechanisms within the LSD Google Maps Embedder plugin for WordPress. The plugin fails to properly validate nonce tokens when processing administrative requests, allowing attackers to forge requests that perform privileged operations on behalf of authenticated administrators.

The attack chain becomes particularly dangerous when combined with Stored XSS capabilities, as documented by security researchers. An attacker can craft a malicious HTML page containing hidden form submissions or JavaScript-triggered requests that target the vulnerable plugin endpoints. When an authenticated WordPress administrator visits the attacker-controlled page, their browser automatically includes session cookies, causing the forged request to be processed with administrative privileges.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-23871 is the absence or improper implementation of WordPress nonce verification in the plugin's form handlers and AJAX endpoints. WordPress provides built-in CSRF protection through its nonce system (wp_nonce_field(), wp_verify_nonce()), but the LSD Google Maps Embedder plugin fails to utilize these security functions correctly in affected code paths. This allows cross-origin requests to be accepted and processed without proper origin validation.

Attack Vector

The attack requires social engineering to lure an authenticated WordPress administrator to a malicious website controlled by the attacker. The attacker's page contains hidden HTML forms or JavaScript code that automatically submits requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints on the target WordPress site.

A typical attack scenario involves:

1. The attacker identifies a WordPress site using the vulnerable LSD Google Maps Embedder plugin
2. The attacker creates a malicious webpage containing CSRF payloads targeting the plugin's administrative functions
3. The attacker tricks a logged-in WordPress administrator into visiting the malicious page
4. The victim's browser automatically sends authenticated requests to the WordPress site
5. The plugin processes these forged requests, potentially modifying settings or injecting malicious content

The vulnerability can be chained with Stored XSS to achieve persistent compromise of the WordPress site. For detailed technical information, refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23871

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to LSD Google Maps Embedder plugin settings without administrator action
• Presence of injected JavaScript or HTML content within plugin-managed map embeds
• Suspicious external requests from administrator browsers to the WordPress admin panel
• Unusual administrative activity logs showing plugin configuration changes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress plugin settings for unauthorized modifications using file integrity monitoring tools
• Review server access logs for unusual POST requests to LSD Google Maps Embedder admin endpoints
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to detect and prevent unauthorized script execution
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect CSRF attack patterns targeting WordPress plugins

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging to track all administrative actions and plugin configuration changes
• Monitor for cross-origin requests to WordPress admin endpoints from external referrers
• Implement real-time alerting for plugin settings modifications outside normal administrative workflows
• Regularly scan WordPress installations for vulnerable plugin versions using security scanning tools

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23871

Immediate Actions Required

• Disable or remove the LSD Google Maps Embedder plugin (lsd-google-maps-embedder) until a patched version is available
• Audit plugin settings for any unauthorized changes that may indicate prior exploitation
• Review WordPress site content for injected malicious scripts resulting from CSRF-to-XSS attacks
• Implement additional WAF rules to block CSRF attempts targeting the affected plugin endpoints

Patch Information

As of the last update, version 1.1 and all prior versions of the LSD Google Maps Embedder plugin are affected by this vulnerability. WordPress administrators should check the official plugin repository or the Patchstack advisory for updates regarding a security patch. Until a fix is released, deactivating the plugin is the recommended mitigation.

Workarounds

• Deactivate and delete the LSD Google Maps Embedder plugin from WordPress installations
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to mitigate potential XSS impact from the attack chain
• Restrict administrative access to WordPress by IP address or VPN to reduce the attack surface
• Use browser extensions or policies that prevent automatic form submission from untrusted sites

# WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate lsd-google-maps-embedder

# Verify plugin status
wp plugin status lsd-google-maps-embedder

# Alternative: Remove the plugin entirely
wp plugin delete lsd-google-maps-embedder