CVE-2025-31769 Overview
CVE-2025-31769 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability [CWE-352] affecting the NiteoThemes CLP – Custom Login Page WordPress plugin. The flaw impacts all plugin versions up to and including 1.5.5. An attacker can craft a malicious web page that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, triggers unintended state-changing actions on the target WordPress site. Exploitation requires user interaction but no authentication or elevated privileges on the attacker side. The vulnerability primarily affects the integrity of plugin configuration data.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to trick authenticated administrators into performing unauthorized configuration changes to the CLP – Custom Login Page plugin, potentially altering the WordPress login page appearance or behavior.
Affected Products
- NiteoThemes CLP – Custom Login Page plugin for WordPress
- All versions from n/a through <= 1.5.5
- WordPress installations using clp-custom-login-page
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-01 - CVE-2025-31769 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-31769
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing or improperly validated anti-CSRF tokens in the CLP – Custom Login Page plugin request handlers. State-changing operations exposed by the plugin do not verify that requests originate from a legitimate, user-initiated action within the WordPress admin interface. An attacker hosting a malicious page can embed forged form submissions or automated JavaScript requests targeting the vulnerable endpoints. When an authenticated administrator visits that page, the browser automatically attaches valid session cookies to the forged request. The application then processes the request as if the administrator intended it. The impact is limited to integrity of plugin configuration; confidentiality and availability are not directly affected.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of proper CSRF protection on plugin request handlers. WordPress provides a nonce mechanism through wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer(), but the affected plugin does not consistently apply these safeguards on privileged actions. Without a validated nonce or an equivalent origin check, the application cannot distinguish between an intentional administrator action and a request forged by a third-party site.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires an authenticated administrator to visit an attacker-controlled page or click a crafted link while logged into the WordPress admin panel. The attack is delivered over the network and does not require the attacker to authenticate. The malicious page contains an auto-submitting HTML form or fetch request targeting a vulnerable endpoint in the plugin. Because browsers automatically include the administrator's active session cookies, the backend processes the forged request with full administrative context.
See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31769
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modifications to CLP – Custom Login Page plugin settings recorded in the WordPress options table or plugin logs.
- Administrator sessions where plugin configuration changes correlate with an external Referer header or no referer at all.
- Web server access logs showing POST requests to plugin admin endpoints originating from cross-origin referrers.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect WordPress audit logs for plugin configuration changes that lack a corresponding admin UI navigation trail.
- Monitor HTTP request logs for POST requests to wp-admin plugin endpoints with Referer values pointing to unaffiliated domains.
- Flag plugin action requests that arrive without a valid _wpnonce parameter.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to record all administrator configuration changes with source metadata.
- Alert on modifications to the CLP – Custom Login Page settings outside of change windows.
- Correlate administrator browser activity with plugin setting changes to identify forged submissions.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31769
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the CLP – Custom Login Page plugin to a version newer than 1.5.5 once the vendor releases a patched release.
- Restrict WordPress administrator access to trusted networks and require administrators to log out of the admin panel when not in use.
- Audit recent plugin configuration for unauthorized modifications and revert any suspicious changes.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no fixed version beyond 1.5.5 is confirmed in the referenced advisory. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin's official WordPress.org listing for an updated release addressing the missing CSRF protection.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and remove the CLP – Custom Login Page plugin until a patched version is available.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks cross-origin POST requests to the plugin's admin endpoints.
- Require administrators to use dedicated browsers or browser profiles that are not used for general browsing while managing the WordPress site.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
