CVE-2025-49286 Overview
CVE-2025-49286 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the WP Table Builder WordPress plugin. The flaw impacts all versions up to and including 2.0.6. An attacker can craft a malicious web page that triggers unauthorized state-changing requests when an authenticated WordPress user visits it. The issue is tracked under CWE-352 and requires user interaction to succeed.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to induce authenticated WordPress users to perform unintended actions within the WP Table Builder plugin, resulting in limited integrity impact on affected sites.
Affected Products
- WP Table Builder plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 2.0.6
- WordPress sites with the plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-06 - CVE-2025-49286 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-49286
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing or improperly implemented anti-CSRF protections in the WP Table Builder plugin. WordPress provides a nonce mechanism specifically to prevent CSRF, but affected endpoints in versions up to 2.0.6 do not adequately validate these tokens on state-changing requests. Attackers exploit this gap by crafting HTML or JavaScript payloads that submit forged requests to the target WordPress site.
When an authenticated administrator or privileged user visits a malicious page, the browser automatically attaches valid session cookies to the forged request. The plugin processes the request as legitimate because it cannot distinguish between user-initiated actions and attacker-forged ones. The attack requires user interaction, limiting mass exploitation but remaining effective in targeted scenarios.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of proper CSRF token verification on sensitive plugin actions. WordPress plugins should call check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce() before processing requests that modify plugin state. WP Table Builder versions up to 2.0.6 fail to consistently enforce this validation, categorizing the flaw as [CWE-352]: Cross-Site Request Forgery.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network and requires the victim to click a link or visit an attacker-controlled page while authenticated to the target WordPress site. The vulnerability manifests when the forged request reaches an unprotected plugin endpoint. See the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability advisory for the technical writeup.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49286
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modifications to tables created or managed by WP Table Builder without corresponding administrator activity in WordPress audit logs.
- HTTP POST or GET requests to WP Table Builder admin endpoints with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains.
- Multiple state-changing plugin requests originating from a single authenticated session in rapid succession following an off-site page load.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor WordPress access logs for requests to plugin admin-ajax or REST endpoints missing valid _wpnonce parameters.
- Correlate administrator browsing telemetry with WordPress backend actions to identify requests triggered by external referrers.
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule set that flags cross-origin state-changing requests to /wp-admin/ paths.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging plugins to record all administrative changes with source IP and user agent context.
- Alert on anomalous plugin configuration changes occurring outside of scheduled maintenance windows.
- Review browser referrer headers on inbound requests to WordPress admin routes to identify potential CSRF attempts.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49286
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the WP Table Builder plugin to a version newer than 2.0.6 once a patched release is available from the vendor.
- Restrict WordPress administrator accounts from browsing untrusted websites during active admin sessions.
- Audit existing WP Table Builder tables and site configurations for unauthorized changes.
Patch Information
Refer to the Patchstack advisory for WP Table Builder for the latest patch status and remediation guidance. Site administrators should upgrade to a fixed release once published by the plugin maintainers.
Workarounds
- Temporarily deactivate the WP Table Builder plugin until a patched version is installed.
- Enforce SameSite=Strict or SameSite=Lax cookie attributes on WordPress session cookies to reduce CSRF exposure.
- Deploy a WAF with CSRF protection rules that validate Origin and Referer headers on WordPress administrative endpoints.
- Require administrators to use isolated browser profiles or sessions dedicated to WordPress management.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
