CVE-2025-30538 Overview
CVE-2025-30538 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the ChrisHurst Simple Optimizer WordPress plugin. The flaw impacts all versions up to and including 1.2.7. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery.
An attacker can trick an authenticated WordPress administrator into submitting a forged request to the plugin. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a malicious link while authenticated to the target site. The issue was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) via Patchstack.
Critical Impact
An authenticated administrator visiting an attacker-controlled page can be forced to trigger unintended plugin actions, leading to limited integrity impact on the affected WordPress site.
Affected Products
- ChrisHurst Simple Optimizer WordPress plugin
- All versions from n/a through 1.2.7
- WordPress sites with the plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-24 - CVE-2025-30538 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-30538
Vulnerability Analysis
The Simple Optimizer plugin fails to validate the origin and authenticity of state-changing HTTP requests. The plugin does not verify a WordPress nonce or equivalent anti-CSRF token before performing sensitive operations. This omission allows an external site to craft a request that a logged-in user's browser will submit automatically.
Exploitation requires an authenticated WordPress user, typically an administrator, to visit a page controlled by the attacker. The attacker's page issues a request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint using the victim's active session cookies. The plugin processes the request as if it originated from a legitimate action inside the WordPress admin interface.
The impact is limited to integrity, with no confidentiality or availability consequences reported. The scope remains unchanged, meaning the attacker can only affect resources managed by the vulnerable plugin. The EPSS score is 0.197%, indicating a low probability of near-term exploitation.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of CSRF protection on plugin actions that modify state. WordPress provides the wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() functions to prevent this class of issue. Simple Optimizer versions up to 1.2.7 do not enforce nonce validation on at least one privileged action handler.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker hosts a malicious HTML page containing a hidden form or JavaScript that auto-submits a request to the target WordPress site. When a logged-in administrator visits the page, the browser attaches session cookies to the forged request. The vulnerable plugin processes the request without verifying that it originated from a trusted context.
See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the technical advisory.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-30538
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Simple Optimizer plugin settings without corresponding administrator activity in the WordPress audit log.
- HTTP referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains on requests targeting the plugin's admin endpoints.
- POST requests to wp-admin/ endpoints associated with the plugin that lack a valid _wpnonce parameter.
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access logs for requests to plugin action handlers that originate from external referers.
- Enable a WordPress activity log plugin to capture configuration changes and correlate them with administrator sessions.
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule that flags state-changing requests to the plugin missing nonce parameters.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor administrator account activity for unexpected configuration changes to installed plugins.
- Alert on cross-origin POST requests reaching WordPress administrative endpoints.
- Track plugin version inventory across managed WordPress sites to identify installations still running version 1.2.7 or earlier.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-30538
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites running the Simple Optimizer plugin at version 1.2.7 or earlier.
- Update the plugin to a patched release, or deactivate and remove it if no fix is available.
- Review WordPress administrator activity logs for unexpected plugin configuration changes.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the Patchstack advisory lists Simple Optimizer versions up to and including 1.2.7 as affected. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin's WordPress.org page for the latest fixed version.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the Simple Optimizer plugin until a patched version is installed.
- Restrict WordPress administrator access to a dedicated browser session that is not used for general web browsing.
- Deploy a WAF rule that blocks state-changing requests to WordPress admin endpoints when the referer header is external or missing.
- Require administrators to log out of WordPress after completing administrative tasks to shrink the exploitation window.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
