CVE-2025-32273: Freetobook Widget CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-32273 Overview

CVE-2025-32273 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the Freetobook Responsive Widget plugin for WordPress. The flaw impacts all plugin versions up to and including 1.1. An attacker can craft a malicious web page that, when visited by an authenticated site administrator, triggers unauthorized state-changing actions in the plugin. Exploitation requires user interaction but no privileges on the target site. The issue is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery and was published to the National Vulnerability Database on April 4, 2025.

Critical Impact
An authenticated administrator visiting an attacker-controlled page can be forced to execute unwanted plugin actions, resulting in unauthorized modifications to WordPress site configuration.

Affected Products

Freetobook Responsive Widget WordPress plugin versions up to and including 1.1
WordPress sites running the freetobook-responsive-widget plugin
All installations without CSRF protections applied to plugin endpoints

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-04 - CVE-2025-32273 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-32273

Vulnerability Analysis

The Freetobook Responsive Widget plugin exposes state-changing actions without validating the origin of incoming HTTP requests. The plugin fails to verify a WordPress nonce or equivalent anti-CSRF token before processing sensitive operations. An attacker exploits this by hosting a page containing a hidden form or JavaScript that submits a forged request to the target WordPress site. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker's page, the browser automatically attaches session cookies to the outbound request. The plugin then processes the request as if the administrator initiated it. The vulnerability only affects integrity, not confidentiality or availability, per the CVSS vector.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of proper CSRF protection on plugin endpoints. WordPress provides the wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() functions to prevent this class of issue, but the plugin does not consistently invoke them before executing privileged actions. This omission classifies the flaw under CWE-352.

Attack Vector

Exploitation follows a standard CSRF pattern. The attacker crafts a malicious HTML page containing an auto-submitting form or XMLHttpRequest targeting the vulnerable plugin action. The attacker then lures an authenticated WordPress administrator to the page through phishing, malvertising, or a compromised third-party site. The victim's browser sends the forged request with valid session cookies, and the plugin performs the requested action. No credentials are exposed to the attacker, but plugin settings or widget configurations can be modified without authorization. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-32273

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to Freetobook widget settings within the WordPress admin interface
HTTP POST or GET requests to plugin admin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains
Administrator sessions generating plugin configuration changes shortly after visiting unfamiliar external links
Web server access logs showing requests to wp-admin/admin.php with plugin-specific parameters and mismatched referrers

Detection Strategies

Enable WordPress audit logging to track configuration changes made through the Freetobook Responsive Widget plugin
Monitor HTTP request headers for missing or invalid Referer values on plugin administrative actions
Correlate admin activity timestamps with browsing telemetry to identify state changes triggered by external navigation
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule set that flags cross-origin form submissions to WordPress admin endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest WordPress and web server logs into a centralized SIEM for cross-source correlation of admin activity
Alert on any modification to plugin settings originating from requests without a valid same-origin Referer
Track administrator account behavior for anomalous patterns following visits to external links
Review installed WordPress plugins weekly and remove abandoned or unmaintained components

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-32273

Immediate Actions Required

Disable or remove the Freetobook Responsive Widget plugin until a patched version is released by the vendor
Restrict WordPress administrator access to trusted networks using IP allowlists on wp-admin
Require administrators to log out of WordPress sessions before browsing untrusted sites
Enforce SameSite=Lax or SameSite=Strict cookie attributes on WordPress session cookies to reduce CSRF exposure

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no vendor patch is listed in the NVD entry for versions above 1.1. Site administrators should monitor the Patchstack advisory and the plugin's WordPress.org listing for an updated release that adds wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() calls to state-changing actions.

Workarounds

Uninstall the plugin and replace it with an alternative booking widget that implements CSRF protection
Deploy a WAF rule to block POST requests to the plugin's admin endpoints when the Referer header does not match the site's origin
Require multi-factor authentication for all WordPress administrator accounts to reduce the impact of session abuse
Use browser isolation or dedicated administrative browsers to separate WordPress admin sessions from general web browsing

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) to block cross-origin POSTs to WordPress admin
SecRule REQUEST_METHOD "@streq POST" \
  "chain,id:1003273,phase:1,deny,status:403,\
   msg:'Blocked cross-origin POST to wp-admin (CVE-2025-32273)'"
  SecRule REQUEST_URI "@beginsWith /wp-admin/" \
    "chain"
    SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Referer "!@beginsWith https://your-site.example.com" "t:none"