CVE-2025-30968 Overview
CVE-2025-30968 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the Advanced Post List WordPress plugin developed by jokerbr313. The flaw impacts all versions of advanced-post-list up to and including 0.5.6.2. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-352] and requires user interaction to trigger.
An attacker exploiting this issue can force an authenticated WordPress user to perform unintended state-changing actions on the plugin. Successful exploitation can result in limited integrity and availability impact within the affected WordPress instance.
Critical Impact
Attackers can trick authenticated WordPress administrators into executing unauthorized plugin actions by visiting a malicious page, leading to configuration tampering in Advanced Post List.
Affected Products
- jokerbr313 Advanced Post List WordPress plugin
- All versions from n/a through 0.5.6.2
- WordPress sites with the advanced-post-list plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-06 - CVE-2025-30968 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-30968
Vulnerability Analysis
The Advanced Post List plugin fails to validate the origin of state-changing HTTP requests. The plugin does not implement or correctly verify anti-CSRF tokens (WordPress nonces) on sensitive endpoints. An attacker crafts a malicious HTML page that submits a forged request to the target WordPress site.
When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker-controlled page, the browser automatically attaches the user's WordPress session cookies. The plugin processes the request as if it originated from a legitimate administrative action. This allows the attacker to modify plugin settings or trigger plugin operations without direct access to credentials.
The attack vector is network-based, requires no privileges, and depends on user interaction such as clicking a link or loading a malicious page. Confidentiality is not impacted, but the attacker can affect integrity and availability of plugin-controlled data.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or improper CSRF protection in the plugin's request handlers. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() APIs to prevent CSRF, but the affected versions of advanced-post-list either omit nonce generation or fail to validate submitted nonces before executing privileged actions.
Attack Vector
An attacker hosts a page containing a hidden form or automated JavaScript request targeting a vulnerable plugin endpoint on the victim's WordPress site. The attacker then lures an authenticated administrator to the page through phishing or social engineering. Once loaded, the browser issues the forged request using the administrator's active session, and the plugin executes the requested action without verifying request origin.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-30968
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Advanced Post List plugin settings or configuration within wp-admin
- WordPress access logs showing administrative POST requests with external Referer headers pointing to untrusted domains
- Administrative actions logged from IP addresses or user agents inconsistent with legitimate admin activity
Detection Strategies
- Inspect HTTP request logs for POST requests to advanced-post-list endpoints that lack a matching _wpnonce parameter
- Correlate administrative session activity with browser navigation events to identify off-site request origins
- Audit WordPress plugin configuration change timestamps against known administrator activity windows
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to record all administrative actions and configuration changes
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with rules to flag cross-origin POST requests to /wp-admin/ endpoints
- Alert on any modifications to Advanced Post List settings until the plugin is patched or removed
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-30968
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations running the advanced-post-list plugin and confirm the installed version
- Deactivate the Advanced Post List plugin if a patched version is not available for your environment
- Instruct administrators to log out of WordPress sessions before browsing untrusted sites until remediation is complete
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, no fixed version has been identified. All releases up to and including 0.5.6.2 are affected. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release from the maintainer.
Workarounds
- Disable or uninstall the Advanced Post List plugin until an official patch is released
- Restrict wp-admin access by IP allowlisting through the web server or WAF configuration
- Deploy a WordPress security plugin that enforces nonce validation and blocks cross-origin administrative requests
- Require administrators to use a dedicated browser profile for WordPress management to reduce cross-site exposure
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
