CVE-2025-24533 Overview
CVE-2025-24533 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the MetaSlider Responsive Slider by MetaSlider (ml-slider) WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 3.92.0. Attackers can trick authenticated users into submitting state-changing requests to the plugin without their consent. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352 and requires user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link or visiting an attacker-controlled page. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized modifications to slider configurations and limited impact on integrity and availability of the affected WordPress installation.
Critical Impact
Attackers can force authenticated WordPress administrators to perform unintended actions on the MetaSlider plugin, altering slider configurations without consent.
Affected Products
- MetaSlider Responsive Slider by MetaSlider (ml-slider) WordPress plugin
- All versions from unspecified initial release through 3.92.0
- WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-01-27 - CVE-2025-24533 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-24533
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing or improperly implemented CSRF protection in the MetaSlider ml-slider plugin. WordPress plugins are expected to validate requests using nonces via wp_verify_nonce() or check_admin_referer() before performing state-changing operations. The plugin fails to enforce this validation on one or more sensitive endpoints. Attackers exploit this gap by crafting malicious HTML or JavaScript that triggers requests from an authenticated user's browser session.
Because the browser automatically sends session cookies with the forged request, the WordPress backend treats the action as legitimate. The scope is limited to actions the victim is authorized to perform. Impact on confidentiality is none, while integrity and availability are affected at a low level.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of anti-CSRF tokens on state-changing plugin actions, classified under CWE-352. Endpoints modify plugin data without confirming that the request originated from an intentional user action within the WordPress admin interface.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network and requires user interaction. An attacker hosts a malicious page or delivers a crafted link. When a logged-in WordPress user with sufficient privileges loads the payload, the browser transmits a forged request to the vulnerable MetaSlider endpoint. The plugin then processes the action under the victim's authenticated context. See the Patchstack CVE Analysis for further technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24533
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to MetaSlider slider configurations, slide contents, or plugin settings not attributable to a known administrator action.
- WordPress access logs showing POST requests to ml-slider admin endpoints originating from external Referer headers.
- Administrative sessions producing plugin state changes shortly after visits to untrusted external sites.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor WordPress audit logs for slider modification events lacking a corresponding admin UI navigation trail.
- Inspect HTTP request logs for MetaSlider admin-ajax or admin-post actions missing valid _wpnonce parameters.
- Correlate browser sessions of privileged users with outbound requests to untrusted domains preceding plugin state changes.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to record all administrative changes to MetaSlider objects.
- Alert on anomalous Referer values on requests targeting /wp-admin/admin.php?page=metaslider and related paths.
- Track the installed version of the ml-slider plugin across your estate to identify hosts still running 3.92.0 or earlier.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24533
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the MetaSlider Responsive Slider plugin to the fixed release published after version 3.92.0.
- Audit administrator accounts and reduce the number of users holding privileges to configure the plugin.
- Review recent slider changes for unauthorized modifications and revert as needed.
Patch Information
Refer to the Patchstack CVE Analysis for the fixed version and vendor guidance. Apply plugin updates through the WordPress dashboard or via wp-cli. Verify the plugin version after upgrade to confirm remediation.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the MetaSlider plugin until the patched version can be installed.
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/ using IP allow-listing at the web server or WAF layer.
- Enforce browser session hygiene by requiring administrators to log out after each session and avoid browsing untrusted sites while authenticated.
# Configuration example: update MetaSlider using wp-cli
wp plugin update ml-slider
wp plugin get ml-slider --field=version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
