CVE-2025-46516 Overview
CVE-2025-46516 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Twitter Card Generator WordPress plugin (developed by silencecm) that allows attackers to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. This chained vulnerability enables unauthenticated attackers to trick authenticated administrators into submitting malicious requests, resulting in persistent XSS payloads being stored within the WordPress installation.
Critical Impact
This vulnerability combines CSRF with Stored XSS, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of administrator sessions, potentially leading to complete site compromise, session hijacking, and malicious content injection.
Affected Products
- Twitter Card Generator WordPress Plugin version 1.0.5 and earlier
- WordPress installations with the twitter-card-generator plugin enabled
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-24 - CVE-2025-46516 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-46516
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability represents a dangerous combination of two web security flaws: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The Twitter Card Generator plugin fails to implement proper CSRF token validation on form submissions that handle Twitter card metadata configuration. Additionally, the plugin does not adequately sanitize user input before storing it in the database, creating a pathway for persistent XSS attacks.
When an authenticated administrator visits a malicious webpage crafted by an attacker, the page can automatically submit a hidden form to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. Because the plugin lacks CSRF protection, this forged request is processed as if it were a legitimate action from the administrator. The malicious payload submitted through this forged request is then stored in the WordPress database without proper sanitization, resulting in a Stored XSS condition that executes whenever the affected content is rendered.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2025-46516 is twofold:
Missing CSRF Protection (CWE-352): The plugin does not implement WordPress nonce verification or other CSRF countermeasures on state-changing operations. This allows cross-origin requests to perform administrative actions.
Insufficient Input Sanitization: User-supplied data is stored in the database without proper encoding or validation, allowing HTML and JavaScript to be injected and subsequently rendered in victim browsers.
Attack Vector
The attack requires user interaction, where an administrator must visit a malicious page controlled by the attacker while authenticated to the WordPress site. The attack originates from the network and does not require authentication to the target system—only that the victim has an active authenticated session.
An attacker would typically craft a webpage containing a hidden form that automatically submits to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. When an authenticated WordPress administrator visits this page, the form submits a request containing malicious JavaScript in a Twitter card metadata field. This payload is stored persistently and executes in the browsers of users who view affected pages, potentially including other administrators.
The vulnerability has a Changed scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component itself—in this case, affecting other users and potentially the entire WordPress installation.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-46516
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected or malicious JavaScript code within Twitter card metadata fields in the WordPress database
- Suspicious <script> tags or event handlers (e.g., onerror, onload) in plugin configuration values
- Unusual administrative actions performed without corresponding administrator activity in access logs
- Referrer logs showing requests to plugin endpoints originating from external domains
Detection Strategies
- Monitor WordPress database tables associated with the Twitter Card Generator plugin for JavaScript or HTML injection patterns
- Review web server access logs for POST requests to plugin endpoints with suspicious referrer headers from external domains
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to detect and block inline script execution attempts
- Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect CSRF and XSS attack patterns targeting WordPress plugins
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to track configuration changes and identify unauthorized modifications
- Configure alerts for any modifications to plugin settings outside of normal administrative workflows
- Monitor for client-side JavaScript errors that may indicate XSS payload execution attempts
- Regularly scan stored content for malicious scripts using WordPress security scanning tools
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-46516
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the Twitter Card Generator plugin (twitter-card-generator) until a patched version is available
- Review WordPress database for any injected malicious content in Twitter card metadata fields
- Audit administrative user activity logs for suspicious or unexpected configuration changes
- Consider implementing alternative Twitter card functionality through other vetted plugins or theme features
Patch Information
No official patch has been confirmed in the available vulnerability data. Organizations should monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for updates on remediation guidance and potential plugin updates from the developer.
Workarounds
- Remove or deactivate the Twitter Card Generator plugin until a security update is released
- Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter requests targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoints
- Restrict administrative access to trusted IP addresses to limit the attack surface
- Apply Content Security Policy headers to prevent inline script execution as a defense-in-depth measure
# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate twitter-card-generator
# Check for injected scripts in WordPress options (example query)
wp db query "SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_value LIKE '%<script%' OR option_value LIKE '%javascript:%';"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
