CVE-2025-39375: Easy Child Theme Creator CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-39375 Overview

CVE-2025-39375 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Easy Child Theme Creator WordPress plugin by Ashok G. The flaw affects all versions from an unspecified starting point through version 1.3.1. An attacker can trick an authenticated WordPress user into submitting forged requests that perform state-changing actions on the affected site. The weakness is classified under CWE-352, Cross-Site Request Forgery.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions in the context of an authenticated administrator, potentially altering theme files or configuration without consent.

Affected Products

Easy Child Theme Creator WordPress plugin (easy-child-theme-creator) versions through 1.3.1
WordPress installations with the Easy Child Theme Creator plugin enabled
Any site where an authenticated user can be lured to a malicious page while the plugin is active

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-19 - CVE-2025-39375 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-39375

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing or improperly validated anti-CSRF tokens in state-changing endpoints of the Easy Child Theme Creator plugin. An attacker crafts a malicious webpage or email link that issues an HTTP request to the target WordPress site. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker-controlled resource, the browser automatically attaches session cookies to the forged request. The plugin processes the request as if it originated from a legitimate user action.

Because the plugin generates child themes and writes files, forged requests can trigger plugin operations without the administrator's knowledge. The attack requires user interaction, which limits automated mass exploitation but remains viable through phishing.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of proper WordPress nonce validation using functions such as check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce() on request handlers that modify server state. Without a per-session, per-action token, the plugin cannot distinguish requests initiated by the legitimate user from those forged by a third-party site.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker hosts a page containing an auto-submitting HTML form or image tag that targets the vulnerable plugin endpoint on a WordPress site. When an authenticated administrator loads the attacker's page in the same browser session as their WordPress login, the request executes with the administrator's privileges. No credentials are required from the attacker.

Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-39375

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child theme directories or files created under wp-content/themes/ without corresponding administrator activity in the audit log
HTTP POST requests to plugin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains
Administrator sessions performing plugin actions immediately after navigating to unfamiliar external URLs

Detection Strategies

Review web server access logs for POST requests to Easy Child Theme Creator endpoints lacking valid nonce parameters
Correlate WordPress user activity logs with browser referrer data to identify cross-origin request patterns
Monitor file integrity on the wp-content/themes/ directory for unauthorized creation or modification events

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to record all administrative actions with source IP and referrer
Alert on theme file creation events outside scheduled maintenance windows
Track outbound browser navigation from administrator workstations to detect phishing lures targeting logged-in sessions

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-39375

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate the Easy Child Theme Creator plugin until a patched version is confirmed installed
Audit wp-content/themes/ for unauthorized child theme directories created since plugin installation
Require administrators to log out of WordPress sessions before browsing untrusted external sites

Patch Information

At the time of the NVD entry, the vulnerability affects Easy Child Theme Creator versions through 1.3.1. Consult the Patchstack advisory for current fix status and upgrade guidance. Apply any vendor-supplied update as soon as it becomes available.

Workarounds

Restrict WordPress administrator access to dedicated browsers or profiles that are not used for general web browsing
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule requiring valid Referer and Origin headers on plugin admin endpoints
Enforce SameSite=Strict or SameSite=Lax cookie attributes on WordPress session cookies to reduce cross-site request risk

bash

# Example nginx rule to block cross-origin POST requests to the plugin endpoint
location ~ /wp-admin/admin\.php {
    if ($request_method = POST) {
        set $block 1;
    }
    if ($http_origin ~* ^https?://your-wordpress-domain\.com) {
        set $block 0;
    }
    if ($block = 1) {
        return 403;
    }
}