CVE-2025-50036 Overview
CVE-2025-50036 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting the Yamna Khawaja Mailing Group Listserv plugin (wp-mailing-group) for WordPress. The flaw impacts all plugin versions up to and including 3.0.5. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when triggered by an authenticated user visiting an attacker-controlled page, performs unauthorized actions in the context of that user. Successful exploitation can disrupt availability of the affected functionality. The weakness is tracked under CWE-352.
Critical Impact
An authenticated user tricked into visiting a malicious page can trigger unauthorized state-changing requests against the WordPress site, resulting in a high-impact availability outcome for the Mailing Group Listserv plugin.
Affected Products
- Yamna Khawaja Mailing Group Listserv (wp-mailing-group) WordPress plugin
- All versions up to and including 3.0.5
- WordPress sites using the affected plugin build
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-20 - CVE-2025-50036 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-50036
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing or improperly validated anti-CSRF tokens on state-changing endpoints in the Mailing Group Listserv plugin. WordPress plugins are expected to use nonce validation via wp_verify_nonce() or check_admin_referer() on privileged actions. When these controls are absent, an attacker can host a page that submits a forged request to the vulnerable WordPress site.
Exploitation requires user interaction. A logged-in administrator or privileged user must visit an attacker-controlled resource while their session is active. The browser will attach the user's authentication cookies to the forged request, allowing the plugin to process it as legitimate.
Because the CVSS impact metrics indicate no confidentiality or integrity impact but high availability impact, the vulnerable action likely triggers destructive or disruptive operations against plugin state or data. See the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory for further technical context.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of CSRF token validation on one or more request handlers exposed by wp-mailing-group. Without a nonce check tied to the user session, the plugin cannot distinguish between a request initiated intentionally by the user and one forged by a third-party site.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker hosts a page containing an auto-submitting form or image tag pointed at the vulnerable WordPress endpoint. When an authenticated administrator loads that page, the browser issues the forged request using the victim's session cookies, causing the plugin to execute the attacker-supplied action.
No verified exploit code is publicly available for this vulnerability. Refer to the vendor and Patchstack advisories for endpoint-specific details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-50036
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to Mailing Group Listserv plugin configuration or mailing list data
- WordPress access logs showing state-changing POST requests to wp-mailing-group endpoints with Referer headers pointing to unfamiliar external domains
- Plugin-driven administrative actions correlated with an administrator's browsing session on unrelated third-party sites
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access.log entries for POST requests targeting wp-mailing-group handlers that lack a valid same-origin Referer header
- Correlate administrator authentication events with outbound browsing telemetry to identify suspicious cross-site navigation preceding plugin actions
- Alert on any modifications to mailing list state that were not initiated from the WordPress admin interface (/wp-admin/)
Monitoring Recommendations
- Ingest WordPress and web server logs into a centralized analytics platform for cross-referencing with endpoint activity
- Monitor for anomalous administrator sessions performing plugin actions immediately after visiting external URLs
- Track plugin version inventory to identify WordPress sites still running wp-mailing-group version 3.0.5 or earlier
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-50036
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress instances running the Mailing Group Listserv (wp-mailing-group) plugin at version 3.0.5 or earlier
- Deactivate the plugin until a fixed version is confirmed available from the vendor
- Instruct administrators to log out of WordPress when not actively performing administrative tasks
Patch Information
At the time of the NVD entry, no vendor-supplied fixed version is listed for versions above 3.0.5. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the plugin's WordPress.org page for a patched release, and apply the update as soon as it becomes available.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and remove the wp-mailing-group plugin until a patched version is released
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule that enforces same-origin Referer or Origin header validation on plugin endpoints
- Restrict WordPress admin access to trusted IP ranges via web server or .htaccess controls to reduce exposure of authenticated sessions
- Require administrators to use isolated browser profiles or sessions when accessing the WordPress admin interface
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
