CVE-2025-24701 Overview
CVE-2025-24701 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the Bob Chained Quiz plugin for WordPress, tracked as [CWE-918]. The flaw affects all versions of the chained-quiz plugin up to and including 1.3.2.9. An attacker with high privileges on the WordPress site can coerce the server into issuing HTTP requests to arbitrary destinations. Successful exploitation exposes internal network resources, cloud metadata endpoints, or other systems reachable from the WordPress host.
Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker can abuse the vulnerable plugin to send server-originated requests to internal or external destinations, enabling reconnaissance and limited data exposure with scope change.
Affected Products
- Bob Chained Quiz plugin for WordPress (chained-quiz)
- Versions from n/a through 1.3.2.9
- WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-01-24 - CVE-2025-24701 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-24701
Vulnerability Analysis
The Chained Quiz plugin accepts a user-controlled value that is later used to construct a server-side HTTP request. The plugin does not validate or restrict the destination host, scheme, or IP range before issuing the outbound request. As a result, an authenticated user with sufficient privileges can direct the WordPress server to fetch content from arbitrary URLs.
SSRF flaws of this class allow attackers to reach network locations that are otherwise unreachable from the public internet. Targets typically include internal management interfaces, cloud instance metadata services (for example 169.254.169.254), and loopback services bound to the WordPress host. The vulnerability requires high privileges and involves scope change, which reflects the ability to affect resources beyond the vulnerable component.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing validation of a URL parameter used by the plugin when issuing server-side HTTP requests. The plugin trusts the supplied destination and does not enforce an allowlist of hosts, restrict private and link-local IP ranges, or block dangerous URL schemes. This maps directly to [CWE-918]: Server-Side Request Forgery.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network against the WordPress administrative surface. An attacker authenticated with high privileges submits a crafted request that includes an attacker-controlled URL. The plugin issues an HTTP request from the server to that URL and may return response content, headers, or timing information to the attacker. This allows internal port scanning, discovery of internal services, and retrieval of cloud metadata credentials in unhardened environments.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Technical details are documented in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24701
Indicators of Compromise
- Outbound HTTP requests from the WordPress web server to internal RFC1918 addresses, 127.0.0.1, or the cloud metadata IP 169.254.169.254.
- Unexpected PHP-originated requests in web server or egress proxy logs referencing the Chained Quiz plugin path.
- Administrative sessions from unfamiliar IP addresses interacting with chained-quiz endpoints.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect WordPress access logs for requests targeting Chained Quiz plugin endpoints followed by outbound connections from the PHP worker.
- Correlate authenticated admin activity with egress network flows to identify SSRF probing patterns.
- Alert on any WordPress host initiating traffic to cloud metadata endpoints, which is rarely legitimate.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Route WordPress outbound traffic through an egress proxy that logs destination hosts and enforces an allowlist.
- Enable WordPress audit logging to capture plugin configuration changes and administrative actions.
- Monitor EPSS and Patchstack advisories for updated exploitation likelihood for CVE-2025-24701.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24701
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites with the chained-quiz plugin installed and record installed versions.
- Deactivate the Chained Quiz plugin on any site running version 1.3.2.9 or earlier until a fixed release is applied.
- Rotate credentials exposed to the WordPress host, including any cloud instance metadata tokens accessible from that server.
- Restrict administrative access to the WordPress dashboard by IP allowlist and enforce multi-factor authentication.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the current fixed version and vendor guidance. Apply the vendor-supplied update as soon as it is available and verify the plugin version after upgrade.
Workarounds
- Block outbound requests from the WordPress server to RFC1918 ranges, loopback, and 169.254.169.254 at the network or host firewall.
- Configure the cloud instance to require IMDSv2 with session tokens to reduce the impact of SSRF against metadata services.
- Limit high-privilege WordPress accounts and audit which users can access Chained Quiz configuration.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule to inspect and reject URL parameters targeting internal or metadata addresses.
# Example egress restriction using iptables on the WordPress host
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 169.254.169.254 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 127.0.0.0/8 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 10.0.0.0/8 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 172.16.0.0/12 -j REJECT
iptables -A OUTPUT -m owner --uid-owner www-data -d 192.168.0.0/16 -j REJECT
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
