CVE-2025-30541: Info Boxes Plugin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-30541 Overview

CVE-2025-30541 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability [CWE-352] affecting the OTWthemes Info Boxes Shortcode and Widget WordPress plugin. The flaw impacts all plugin versions from unspecified initial releases through version 1.15. An attacker can trick an authenticated user into submitting a forged request that performs unauthorized actions within the plugin. Exploitation requires user interaction, typically by luring a logged-in administrator to visit an attacker-controlled page. The vulnerability was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on March 24, 2025.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to modify plugin state on behalf of an authenticated WordPress user without their consent, leading to limited integrity impact on the affected site.

Affected Products

• OTWthemes Info Boxes Shortcode and Widget plugin for WordPress
• All versions up to and including 1.15
• WordPress installations with the info-boxes-shortcode-and-widget plugin enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-24 - CVE-2025-30541 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-30541

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing or improper CSRF protection in the Info Boxes Shortcode and Widget WordPress plugin. The plugin fails to validate a security token, commonly a WordPress nonce, on state-changing requests. An attacker crafts a malicious web page containing HTML or JavaScript that issues a request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. When a logged-in WordPress user visits the attacker's page, the browser automatically attaches the user's session cookies to the forged request. The server processes the request as legitimate because it lacks anti-CSRF validation.

The issue is limited in scope. The CWE-352 classification confirms the root cause is a missing origin or token check on privileged actions. Exploitation does not grant confidentiality impact, but it can result in unauthorized modifications within the plugin's configuration surface.

Root Cause

The plugin's request handlers do not verify a wp_nonce value or perform equivalent origin validation before executing sensitive operations. WordPress provides check_admin_referer() and wp_verify_nonce() functions to defend against CSRF, but the vulnerable code paths in versions through 1.15 do not invoke them.

Attack Vector

Exploitation follows a standard CSRF pattern. The attacker hosts a page that automatically triggers a request to the target WordPress site. The attacker delivers the link through phishing, forum posts, comments, or malvertising. When the authenticated victim loads the page, the forged request executes with the victim's privileges. The attack occurs over the network and requires user interaction from a victim with an active WordPress session.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available for this CVE. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-30541

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to Info Boxes plugin configuration or widget content that administrators did not authorize
• HTTP POST requests to plugin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains
• WordPress audit log entries showing plugin state changes correlated with administrator browsing activity on external sites

Detection Strategies

• Inspect WordPress access logs for requests to info-boxes-shortcode-and-widget administrative endpoints that lack a same-origin Referer header
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that flags state-changing requests to the plugin without a valid wp_nonce parameter
• Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to record option changes and widget updates for later correlation

Monitoring Recommendations

• Alert on modifications to WordPress wp_options entries associated with the vulnerable plugin
• Monitor administrator sessions for cross-origin request patterns targeting wp-admin endpoints
• Track outbound clicks from administrator accounts to untrusted domains during active WordPress sessions

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-30541

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all WordPress installations running the Info Boxes Shortcode and Widget plugin at version 1.15 or earlier
• Deactivate and remove the plugin if a patched release is not available or the plugin is not in active use
• Restrict administrator browsing behavior and require separate browsers or profiles for WordPress administration

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the Patchstack advisory indicates the vulnerability affects versions through 1.15. Administrators should consult the plugin vendor for a fixed release and apply updates as soon as they become available.

Workarounds

• Uninstall the plugin until a patched version is released by OTWthemes
• Deploy a WAF policy that enforces Referer and Origin header validation on all wp-admin requests
• Require administrators to log out of WordPress sessions before browsing untrusted content
• Apply the principle of least privilege by limiting the number of accounts with plugin management capabilities

# Example WAF rule concept for blocking cross-origin POSTs to wp-admin
# ModSecurity pseudo-rule
SecRule REQUEST_METHOD "@streq POST" \
    "chain,deny,status:403,id:1005301,msg:'Blocked cross-origin POST to wp-admin'"
  SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/" "chain"
  SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Referer "!@beginsWith https://your-wordpress-site.example/"