CVE-2025-39517 Overview
CVE-2025-39517 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability [CWE-352] in the WP Map Plugins Basic Interactive World Map plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.7. An attacker can trick an authenticated administrator into submitting a forged request that modifies plugin settings without consent. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link while logged into a vulnerable WordPress site. The vulnerability carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.3 and impacts integrity of plugin configuration data.
Critical Impact
An attacker can alter Basic Interactive World Map plugin settings by luring an authenticated administrator to a malicious page.
Affected Products
- WP Map Plugins Basic Interactive World Map plugin for WordPress
- All versions from unspecified initial release through 2.7
- WordPress sites with the basic-interactive-world-map plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-16 - CVE-2025-39517 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-39517
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a Cross-Site Request Forgery weakness in the plugin's settings handler. The plugin accepts state-changing HTTP requests without validating a WordPress nonce or verifying request origin. An attacker hosts a page containing a forged form or image tag targeting the plugin's settings endpoint. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker-controlled page, the browser transmits the request with valid session cookies. WordPress processes the request as legitimate administrator activity and applies the attacker-supplied settings.
The attack requires user interaction but no privileges on the target site. The impact is limited to integrity of the plugin configuration, with no direct confidentiality or availability impact according to the CVSS vector. Attackers commonly chain CSRF against WordPress plugins with stored Cross-Site Scripting or malicious script injection to escalate impact.
Root Cause
The plugin fails to enforce anti-CSRF controls on privileged actions. Specifically, the settings update handler does not call check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce() against a request-bound token before applying changes. This omission is the classic pattern described by [CWE-352].
Attack Vector
Exploitation proceeds over the network and requires an authenticated administrator to interact with attacker-controlled content. A typical scenario involves a phishing email linking to a page that auto-submits a hidden form to the target WordPress site's admin URL. The browser attaches the administrator's session cookie, and the plugin processes the settings change. See the Patchstack advisory for advisory-level details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-39517
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Basic Interactive World Map plugin settings without corresponding administrator activity in audit logs
- WordPress admin POST requests to plugin settings endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external domains
- Administrator sessions generating settings updates immediately after clicking external links
Detection Strategies
- Enable WordPress audit logging to record plugin configuration changes with user, timestamp, and source IP
- Alert on HTTP POST requests to wp-admin/admin.php or admin-post.php with off-site Referer values while an admin session is active
- Compare current plugin settings against known-good baselines and flag unauthorized deltas
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward WordPress and web server access logs to a centralized analytics platform for correlation of session activity and outbound clicks
- Monitor administrator accounts for behavioral anomalies, such as settings changes outside normal working hours
- Track plugin file integrity and configuration state at regular intervals
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-39517
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate the Basic Interactive World Map plugin until a patched release beyond version 2.7 is confirmed installed
- Restrict WordPress administrator access to dedicated browser sessions that are not used for general browsing or email
- Review recent plugin settings and revert any unauthorized changes
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the advisory lists affected versions through <= 2.7 and no fixed version is specified in the referenced data. Administrators should consult the Patchstack advisory and the plugin vendor's changelog for a patched release, and update immediately once available.
Workarounds
- Uninstall the plugin if the interactive map feature is not business-critical
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/ by IP allowlist at the web server or WAF layer
- Enforce SameSite=Lax or SameSite=Strict cookies on the WordPress session cookie to reduce cross-site request risk
- Require administrators to re-authenticate before performing settings changes using a security plugin that enforces additional nonce checks
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
