CVE-2025-39417: WordPress Redirect Plugin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-39417 Overview

CVE-2025-39417 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability that enables Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in the Redirect wordpress to welcome or landing page plugin developed by Eslam Mahmoud. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 2.0. An unauthenticated attacker can craft a malicious request that, when triggered by an authenticated administrator, injects persistent JavaScript into plugin settings. The injected payload executes in the browser context of any user who subsequently views the affected page.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in administrator browsers, enabling session theft, privilege abuse, and persistent backdoors within the WordPress site.

Affected Products

Redirect WordPress to Welcome or Landing Page plugin versions through 2.0
WordPress installations using the redirect-to-welcome-or-landing-page plugin
Sites where administrators interact with attacker-controlled links while authenticated

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-17 - CVE-2025-39417 published to NVD
2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-39417

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing CSRF protection [CWE-352] in the plugin's settings handler. The plugin fails to validate WordPress nonces on state-changing requests. Combined with insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input, this allows an attacker to forge a request that stores malicious JavaScript in plugin configuration.

The attack chains two weaknesses. First, the missing nonce verification permits cross-origin form submissions to be processed as legitimate administrative actions. Second, the absence of output encoding when rendering stored values transforms the CSRF into a Stored XSS condition. The result is persistent script execution that survives across sessions.

Exploitation requires user interaction. An attacker must lure an authenticated administrator to a controlled web page or link. The CVSS vector indicates network attack reach, no privileges required, and a scope change reflecting the impact on the WordPress admin context.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of anti-CSRF tokens on the plugin's settings update endpoint. WordPress provides the wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives for this purpose, but the plugin does not invoke them on the vulnerable handler. Stored input is also rendered without escaping through esc_attr() or esc_html().

Attack Vector

The attack proceeds in three stages. The attacker hosts a page containing a hidden auto-submitting form that targets the plugin's settings endpoint. The form payload includes a JavaScript-bearing string in a settings field. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker's page, the browser submits the request with valid session cookies, and the plugin persists the payload. Any subsequent visit to the affected admin page executes the script.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability advisory for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-39417

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected <script> tags, event handlers, or JavaScript URIs stored in plugin options within the wp_options table
Outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains shortly after visiting WordPress admin pages
Modifications to plugin configuration without corresponding entries in the WordPress audit log
New or modified administrator accounts created without authorized change tickets

Detection Strategies

Inspect wp_options rows associated with the redirect-to-welcome-or-landing-page plugin for HTML or JavaScript content
Monitor web server access logs for POST requests to wp-admin/admin.php or options.php lacking a valid Referer header from the same origin
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that flags admin requests originating from cross-origin contexts

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable file integrity monitoring on WordPress plugin directories and the database options table
Alert on administrator session activity that includes script execution from non-WordPress domains
Review WordPress activity logs for configuration changes made outside maintenance windows

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-39417

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate the Redirect wordpress to welcome or landing page plugin until a patched release is available
Audit plugin settings for previously injected JavaScript and remove malicious values
Force a password reset and session invalidation for all administrator accounts
Review recent administrative activity logs for unauthorized changes

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the vendor advisory referenced through Patchstack lists affected versions through 2.0 with no fixed version identified. Site operators should monitor the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release that adds nonce validation and output encoding.

Workarounds

Remove the plugin entirely and replace its functionality with a maintained alternative
Restrict WordPress admin access to known IP addresses via web server or WAF rules
Enforce browser isolation or separate browser profiles for WordPress administration to limit CSRF exposure
Apply a Content Security Policy (CSP) that blocks inline script execution in the WordPress admin area

bash

# Example: deactivate the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate redirect-to-welcome-or-landing-page
wp plugin delete redirect-to-welcome-or-landing-page

# Example: audit wp_options for suspicious script content
wp db query "SELECT option_name, option_value FROM wp_options \
  WHERE option_value LIKE '%<script%' \
     OR option_value LIKE '%onerror=%' \
     OR option_value LIKE '%javascript:%';"