CVE-2025-31756 Overview
CVE-2025-31756 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the TZ PlusGallery WordPress plugin developed by tuyennv. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.5.5. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when triggered by an authenticated user visiting an attacker-controlled page, performs unauthorized state-changing actions in the plugin. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352 and requires user interaction to succeed.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to trigger unauthorized actions in TZ PlusGallery on behalf of an authenticated WordPress user, resulting in limited integrity impact on plugin data.
Affected Products
- TZ PlusGallery plugin for WordPress, all versions from n/a through 1.5.5
- WordPress sites running the tz-plus-gallery plugin authored by tuyennv
- Any WordPress installation where an authenticated user with plugin access can be lured to a malicious page
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-01 - CVE-2025-31756 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-31756
Vulnerability Analysis
The TZ PlusGallery plugin exposes one or more state-changing endpoints that do not adequately validate the origin of incoming requests. The plugin fails to verify a WordPress nonce or equivalent anti-CSRF token before processing sensitive actions. As a result, a browser holding a valid authenticated session cookie will process forged requests initiated from third-party origins.
The vulnerability affects integrity only, not confidentiality or availability of the wider system. The attack requires user interaction, typically achieved by luring an authenticated administrator or editor to click a link or visit an attacker-controlled site. The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) probability is low, and no public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed in the referenced advisories.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or improperly implemented CSRF protection [CWE-352] in the plugin's request handlers. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives to guard against forged requests, and the affected endpoints in tz-plus-gallery up to version 1.5.5 do not consistently enforce these checks before executing privileged operations.
Attack Vector
An attacker crafts an HTML page containing a form or JavaScript that auto-submits a request to the vulnerable WordPress endpoint. When an authenticated site user visits the malicious page, the browser attaches the WordPress session cookie to the outbound request. The plugin processes the action without verifying that the request originated from the WordPress admin interface, resulting in unauthorized modification of plugin state. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for advisory details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31756
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to TZ PlusGallery configuration, galleries, or media items with no corresponding admin activity in audit logs
- HTTP POST requests to tz-plus-gallery plugin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external domains
- Authenticated WordPress requests lacking a valid _wpnonce parameter targeting plugin actions
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server access logs for requests to wp-admin/admin.php or admin-ajax.php that include TZ PlusGallery action parameters combined with off-site Referer values
- Correlate WordPress user activity logs with plugin configuration changes to identify actions performed outside normal admin workflows
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that flags plugin state-changing requests missing WordPress nonce parameters
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress audit logging plugin to track content and configuration changes to TZ PlusGallery
- Alert on any modifications to plugin settings performed outside expected administrator IP ranges or business hours
- Monitor for phishing campaigns or suspicious links delivered to WordPress administrators, since exploitation requires user interaction
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31756
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites running the tz-plus-gallery plugin at version 1.5.5 or earlier and inventory them for remediation
- Deactivate the TZ PlusGallery plugin until a fixed release is confirmed and applied
- Instruct WordPress administrators and editors to log out of the admin panel before browsing untrusted sites
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no fixed version beyond 1.5.5 is listed in the referenced advisory. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin vendor for updated version information. Apply any released patch promptly once available.
Workarounds
- Remove or disable the tz-plus-gallery plugin if no patched version is available
- Restrict access to the WordPress admin interface using IP allowlists at the web server or firewall layer
- Deploy WAF rules that require a valid Referer and _wpnonce parameter for all plugin state-changing endpoints
- Enforce short session lifetimes for WordPress administrator accounts to reduce the window of exploitation
# Example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate tz-plus-gallery
wp plugin delete tz-plus-gallery
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
