CVE-2025-27318: Simple Google Sitemap CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-27318 Overview

CVE-2025-27318 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the ixiter Simple Google Sitemap plugin for WordPress. The issue impacts all versions of the plugin up to and including 1.6. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352 and allows attackers to trigger unauthorized state-changing actions when an authenticated administrator visits a malicious page. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, limiting the attack to targeted phishing or social engineering scenarios.

Critical Impact
Attackers can force authenticated WordPress administrators to unknowingly submit plugin configuration changes, resulting in limited integrity impact on affected sites.

Affected Products

ixiter Simple Google Sitemap WordPress plugin, versions up to and including 1.6
WordPress sites with the simple-google-sitemap plugin installed and activated
No patched version is identified in the advisory

Discovery Timeline

2025-02-24 - CVE-2025-27318 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-27318

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a Cross-Site Request Forgery flaw in the Simple Google Sitemap plugin. The plugin fails to validate the origin and authenticity of state-changing HTTP requests submitted to its administrative endpoints. An attacker can craft a malicious web page containing forged requests that target the plugin's settings handlers. When a logged-in WordPress administrator visits the attacker-controlled page, the browser automatically transmits their session cookies with the forged request.

The advisory reports low integrity impact with no confidentiality or availability consequences. The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. Exploitation does not require attacker authentication against the target site. According to the enriched data, no public exploit is available and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence or improper validation of anti-CSRF tokens (typically WordPress wp_nonce values) on the plugin's administrative request handlers. Without nonce verification, the plugin cannot distinguish between requests initiated by legitimate administrators and requests forged by external sites. This violates WordPress's recommended request validation pattern for privileged actions.

Attack Vector

An attacker hosts a malicious page containing hidden HTML forms or JavaScript that auto-submits a request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. The attacker then lures a WordPress administrator to visit the page through phishing, forum posts, or comment links. The victim's authenticated browser session submits the crafted request, causing the plugin to accept and process changes as if they originated from the administrator. Consult the Patchstack CSRF Vulnerability Report for advisory details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-27318

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to Simple Google Sitemap plugin configuration or generated sitemap contents
HTTP POST requests to the plugin's admin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external domains
Administrator sessions performing plugin actions immediately after clicking external links
WordPress audit log entries showing settings modifications without corresponding admin UI navigation

Detection Strategies

Deploy a web application firewall rule to block cross-origin POST requests targeting /wp-admin/ endpoints associated with the plugin
Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to capture plugin setting changes with source IP and referer metadata
Correlate browser telemetry with WordPress server logs to identify administrator visits to untrusted domains preceding configuration changes
Alert on HTTP requests to plugin endpoints that lack a valid _wpnonce parameter

Monitoring Recommendations

Continuously monitor the WordPress plugins directory for the presence of simple-google-sitemap at version 1.6 or earlier
Review sitemap output files (sitemap.xml) for unauthorized URL inclusions or exclusions
Track administrator account activity for anomalous settings changes outside normal maintenance windows

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-27318

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate and remove the Simple Google Sitemap plugin from affected WordPress installations until a patched version is published
Replace the plugin with an actively maintained sitemap generator such as a built-in WordPress SEO plugin
Instruct WordPress administrators to log out of admin sessions before browsing untrusted content

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no vendor patch is listed in the enriched CVE data for versions above 1.6. Site owners should monitor the Patchstack CSRF Vulnerability Report and the plugin's WordPress.org listing for updates.

Workarounds

Restrict access to /wp-admin/ using IP allowlists at the web server or reverse proxy layer
Deploy a web application firewall with CSRF protection rules that enforce Origin and Referer header validation on state-changing requests
Require administrators to use dedicated browser profiles or isolated sessions for WordPress management
Enable SameSite cookie attributes (SameSite=Lax or SameSite=Strict) on WordPress authentication cookies where supported

bash

# Example nginx configuration to block cross-origin POST requests to wp-admin
location ~ ^/wp-admin/ {
    if ($request_method = POST) {
        if ($http_referer !~* "^https?://your-site\.example/") {
            return 403;
        }
    }
}