CVE-2025-54022 Overview
CVE-2025-54022 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Coupon Affiliates WordPress plugin (woo-coupon-usage) developed by Elliot Sowersby / RelyWP. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 6.4.0. An attacker can craft a malicious web page that, when visited by an authenticated WordPress user, triggers unintended state-changing requests against the target site. Successful exploitation requires user interaction but no privileges. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation can disrupt plugin operations and impact availability of the affected WordPress site through forged authenticated actions.
Affected Products
- Coupon Affiliates plugin (woo-coupon-usage) versions up to and including 6.4.0
- WordPress sites running the affected plugin with WooCommerce
- Elliot Sowersby / RelyWP maintained releases prior to the fix
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-07-16 - CVE-2025-54022 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-54022
Vulnerability Analysis
The Coupon Affiliates plugin fails to validate the origin of state-changing HTTP requests. WordPress provides nonce-based CSRF protection through functions like wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer(), but the affected endpoints do not enforce these checks consistently. An attacker who tricks an authenticated user into visiting a crafted page can cause the browser to submit forged requests that the plugin processes as legitimate.
The vulnerability requires user interaction, typically a click on an attacker-controlled link or a visit to a malicious page while authenticated to the target WordPress site. No authentication credentials are needed by the attacker directly. The primary impact is availability, meaning forged requests can disrupt plugin functionality or affect site operations.
The EPSS score is 0.152%, indicating a low predicted probability of exploitation in the near term.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or incomplete CSRF token validation on request handlers that perform state-changing operations. Without a valid nonce check, the plugin cannot distinguish between requests initiated by the legitimate user and requests forged by a third-party origin.
Attack Vector
The attack is network-based and requires the victim to be authenticated to the WordPress site. The attacker hosts a page containing a forged form or automatic request targeting a vulnerable plugin endpoint. When the victim visits the page, the browser automatically includes session cookies, causing the plugin to accept the forged action as authorized. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for technical specifics.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54022
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected state changes in Coupon Affiliates plugin data such as modified affiliate records or coupon configurations
- Web server access logs showing POST requests to plugin endpoints with Referer headers from external domains
- Authenticated user sessions performing plugin actions immediately after visiting external URLs
Detection Strategies
- Inspect HTTP request logs for POST or GET requests to woo-coupon-usage endpoints missing valid WordPress nonces (_wpnonce parameter)
- Correlate browser navigation events with subsequent plugin state changes to identify request forgery patterns
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags cross-origin state-changing requests to WordPress admin paths
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to capture administrative and plugin-level changes with user attribution
- Monitor Referer and Origin headers on requests to /wp-admin/ and admin-ajax.php endpoints associated with the plugin
- Alert on spikes in failed nonce validations or anomalous plugin activity outside business hours
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54022
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Coupon Affiliates plugin to a version newer than 6.4.0 as soon as the vendor publishes a fixed release
- Audit administrative and affiliate accounts for unexpected changes since the plugin was installed
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks using IP allowlisting on /wp-admin/
Patch Information
The vulnerability affects Coupon Affiliates through version 6.4.0. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for the latest fixed version and upgrade instructions.
Workarounds
- Deploy a WAF with CSRF protection rules that reject cross-origin POST requests to WordPress endpoints
- Instruct administrators and affiliate users to log out of the WordPress admin panel when not actively working
- Temporarily disable the plugin if a patched version is not yet available and the functionality is not business-critical
# Example WAF rule concept for blocking cross-origin requests to plugin endpoints
# Reject POST requests to woo-coupon-usage paths when Origin header does not match site domain
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin.php" \
"chain,deny,status:403,id:1054022,msg:'Potential CSRF against woo-coupon-usage'"
SecRule REQUEST_METHOD "@streq POST" "chain"
SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Origin "!@beginsWith https://your-site.example"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
