CVE-2025-28881 Overview
CVE-2025-28881 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the mg12 Mobile Themes WordPress plugin (wp-mobile-themes). The flaw impacts all plugin versions up to and including 1.1.1. An attacker who tricks an authenticated WordPress user into visiting a crafted page can force the browser to submit unintended state-changing requests to the plugin. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery. Exploitation results in limited integrity impact but does not directly expose confidential data or affect availability.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation lets a remote attacker perform unauthorized configuration changes on the Mobile Themes plugin using the victim's authenticated session, provided the victim clicks an attacker-controlled link.
Affected Products
- mg12 Mobile Themes (wp-mobile-themes) WordPress plugin, versions up to and including 1.1.1
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin
- Administrator sessions interacting with the plugin settings interface
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-11 - CVE-2025-28881 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-28881
Vulnerability Analysis
The Mobile Themes plugin exposes state-changing actions without validating a per-request anti-CSRF token. WordPress provides the wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() APIs for this purpose, but the affected plugin does not enforce nonce verification on sensitive endpoints. As a result, the browser of an authenticated administrator can be coerced into issuing forged requests when visiting attacker-controlled content. Exploitation requires user interaction and network access to the target site. The impact is limited to integrity, with no direct confidentiality or availability consequences reported.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or improperly implemented CSRF protection on plugin request handlers. Without validating a nonce or Origin/Referer header, the plugin cannot distinguish between requests initiated by the legitimate administrator UI and requests forged by third-party sites. This is a classic instance of [CWE-352].
Attack Vector
An attacker hosts a page containing a hidden form or JavaScript that auto-submits a request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint on the target WordPress site. When a logged-in administrator visits the page, the browser automatically attaches the WordPress session cookie. The plugin processes the request as if issued by the administrator, applying attacker-chosen changes. No credentials are needed by the attacker, but the victim must be authenticated and must interact with the malicious page. Full technical details are available in the Patchstack CSRF Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-28881
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Mobile Themes plugin configuration in wp_options or plugin-specific tables
- POST requests to plugin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external domains
- Administrator sessions performing plugin configuration changes shortly after visiting external URLs
- Absence of _wpnonce or _ajax_nonce parameters in requests that modify plugin state
Detection Strategies
- Inspect WordPress access logs for POST requests to wp-mobile-themes endpoints originating from cross-origin Referer values
- Review the WordPress audit log for plugin setting changes that do not correspond to legitimate admin activity
- Correlate browser history or proxy logs of administrators with the timing of unexpected configuration events
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress audit logging plugin to track configuration and option changes
- Forward web server access logs to a centralized log platform and alert on cross-origin POSTs to wp-admin/admin-post.php and wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
- Monitor administrator accounts for anomalous session activity such as requests originating from unexpected Referer domains
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-28881
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress instances running wp-mobile-themes version 1.1.1 or earlier
- Deactivate the Mobile Themes plugin until a patched release is confirmed available and installed
- Instruct administrators to log out of WordPress sessions before browsing untrusted content
- Enforce least privilege by reducing the number of accounts with administrative capabilities
Patch Information
As of the last modified date (2026-06-17), no fixed version is listed in the referenced advisory. Consult the Patchstack advisory for updates on a vendor patch. If no update is issued, plan to remove the plugin and replace it with a maintained alternative.
Workarounds
- Remove or disable the wp-mobile-themes plugin until a fix is published
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks POST requests to plugin endpoints missing a valid WordPress nonce
- Enforce SameSite=Lax or SameSite=Strict on WordPress authentication cookies to reduce cross-site request risk
- Require administrators to use a dedicated browser profile for WordPress administration
# Example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate wp-mobile-themes
wp plugin delete wp-mobile-themes
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
