CVE-2025-48351: Kento Splash Screen CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-48351 Overview

CVE-2025-48351 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the PluginsPoint Kento Splash Screen WordPress plugin that enables Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. This chained vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to trick authenticated administrators into performing unintended actions, ultimately leading to persistent malicious script injection within the WordPress installation.

Critical Impact

Attackers can chain CSRF with Stored XSS to persistently compromise WordPress sites, potentially hijacking administrator sessions, defacing websites, or distributing malware to site visitors.

Affected Products

• Kento Splash Screen plugin versions from n/a through 1.4
• WordPress installations using vulnerable Kento Splash Screen versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-08-28 - CVE-2025-48351 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-48351

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a dangerous combination of two web application security flaws: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The Kento Splash Screen plugin fails to implement proper CSRF token validation on sensitive administrative actions, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that authenticated administrators unknowingly execute when visiting attacker-controlled pages.

The CSRF vulnerability serves as the entry point, enabling attackers to bypass authentication requirements. Once exploited, the secondary Stored XSS component allows the injected malicious payload to persist within the WordPress database. This stored payload then executes in the browser of any user who views the affected page, including other administrators and site visitors.

The network-accessible attack vector with low complexity requirements makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for WordPress installations, as social engineering techniques can readily trick administrators into triggering the exploit.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from the plugin's failure to implement anti-CSRF tokens (nonces) on form submissions and state-changing requests within the administrative interface. WordPress provides built-in nonce functionality specifically designed to prevent CSRF attacks, but the Kento Splash Screen plugin does not properly utilize these protections.

Additionally, the plugin lacks adequate input sanitization and output encoding when handling user-supplied data, enabling the secondary XSS payload to be stored and executed without proper neutralization.

Attack Vector

The attack follows a multi-stage exploitation chain:

1. The attacker crafts a malicious HTML page containing a hidden form or JavaScript that automatically submits a request to the vulnerable WordPress plugin endpoint
2. The attacker lures an authenticated WordPress administrator to visit the malicious page through phishing, forum posts, or other social engineering methods
3. When the administrator's browser loads the malicious page, the CSRF payload automatically executes, sending a forged request to the WordPress installation using the administrator's active session
4. The forged request contains XSS payload data that the plugin stores in the database without proper sanitization
5. The stored XSS payload executes whenever any user views the affected splash screen configuration or output, potentially capturing session cookies, performing administrative actions, or redirecting users to malicious sites

The vulnerability requires user interaction (an administrator must be tricked into visiting a malicious page), but once triggered, the stored XSS component persists and affects all subsequent visitors.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-48351

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected or unauthorized changes to Kento Splash Screen plugin settings
• Presence of JavaScript code, <script> tags, or event handlers in splash screen content fields
• Suspicious outbound connections to unknown domains originating from visitor browsers
• Administrator session anomalies or unauthorized administrative actions in WordPress logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress database tables associated with the Kento Splash Screen plugin for HTML/JavaScript injection patterns
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block CSRF attack patterns targeting WordPress admin endpoints
• Review Apache/Nginx access logs for suspicious POST requests to plugin configuration endpoints from external referrers
• Enable WordPress security audit logging to track plugin setting modifications

Monitoring Recommendations

• Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to detect and report unauthorized script execution
• Configure browser-based XSS auditor alerts and reporting mechanisms
• Establish baseline monitoring for WordPress plugin configuration changes with alerting on deviations
• Regularly scan stored content within WordPress database for malicious payloads

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-48351

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate and remove the Kento Splash Screen plugin until a patched version is available
• Audit existing splash screen configurations for any injected malicious content
• Review WordPress administrator accounts for unauthorized access or session compromise
• Consider implementing a Web Application Firewall with CSRF and XSS protection rules

Patch Information

At the time of disclosure, no official patch has been confirmed for this vulnerability. Website administrators should monitor the official WordPress plugin repository and the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for updates regarding security fixes from PluginsPoint.

Workarounds

• Remove the Kento Splash Screen plugin entirely if splash screen functionality is not critical to operations
• Implement server-level access controls restricting plugin admin endpoints to trusted IP addresses only
• Deploy a WordPress security plugin that provides virtual patching or CSRF protection capabilities
• Enable additional authentication factors for WordPress administrative access to reduce session hijacking impact