CVE-2025-57931 Overview
CVE-2025-57931 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability [CWE-352] affecting the Ays Pro Popup box (ays-popup-box) plugin for WordPress. The flaw impacts all plugin versions up to and including 5.5.4. An attacker can trick an authenticated administrator into submitting a forged request that performs privileged actions within the plugin without their consent.
Critical Impact
An attacker who lures an authenticated WordPress user to a malicious page can trigger state-changing actions in the Popup box plugin, resulting in limited integrity impact on the site's popup configuration.
Affected Products
- Ays Pro Popup box (ays-popup-box) WordPress plugin
- All versions from n/a through 5.5.4
- WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-10-29 - CVE-2025-57931 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-57931
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing or insufficient CSRF protections in the Ays Pro Popup box plugin. Sensitive endpoints in the plugin fail to validate a WordPress nonce or verify request origin before executing state-changing actions. An attacker can craft an HTML page or malicious link that submits a forged request to a targeted WordPress site. If an authenticated user with sufficient privileges visits the attacker-controlled resource, the browser silently issues the request using the victim's active session cookies.
The attack requires no privileges on the attacker side and no direct user interaction beyond visiting a page. The scope of impact is limited to integrity, allowing unauthorized modification of plugin-managed data. Confidentiality and availability are not directly affected based on the published scoring.
Root Cause
The plugin does not consistently enforce anti-CSRF tokens on request handlers that modify plugin state. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives for CSRF defense, but the affected handlers in versions up to 5.5.4 either omit these checks or rely on authentication alone. Authentication cookies do not prevent cross-origin submissions, which is the essence of CWE-352.
Attack Vector
Exploitation follows a standard CSRF pattern. The attacker hosts a page containing a hidden form or JavaScript that targets a vulnerable plugin endpoint on the victim WordPress site. The attacker delivers the link through phishing, forum posts, or malvertising. When the authenticated administrator visits the page, the browser attaches the WordPress session cookie and submits the request. The plugin processes the request as if it originated from a legitimate admin session and applies the attacker-controlled changes.
Refer to the Patchstack advisory for CVE-2025-57931 for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57931
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modifications to popup configurations, content, or plugin settings in wp-admin without corresponding audit trail entries from a legitimate administrator session
- HTTP POST or GET requests to ays-popup-box plugin endpoints containing external Referer headers pointing to untrusted domains
- WordPress admin actions timestamped outside normal working hours for the affected administrator account
Detection Strategies
- Enable WordPress audit logging plugins that record plugin setting changes and correlate them with source IP and referrer data
- Inspect web server access logs for cross-origin requests to admin.php, admin-ajax.php, or admin-post.php targeting ays-popup-box action parameters
- Monitor for absent or reused nonce parameters (_wpnonce) on requests that modify plugin state
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on administrator actions initiated from browser sessions where the Referer header does not match the WordPress site's own domain
- Track version inventory of the ays-popup-box plugin across all managed WordPress sites and flag installations at or below version 5.5.4
- Review WAF telemetry for requests matching known CSRF payload patterns targeting the plugin's admin endpoints
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57931
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress instances running the Ays Pro Popup box plugin and confirm the installed version
- Update the plugin to a version released after 5.5.4 that addresses CSRF handling, once a fix is published by the vendor
- Restrict administrator accounts from browsing untrusted sites in the same browser session used for WordPress administration
- Review recent plugin configuration changes and revert any that cannot be attributed to a known administrator action
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the Patchstack advisory identifies all versions through 5.5.4 as vulnerable. Administrators should consult the Patchstack database entry for CVE-2025-57931 for the latest patched release information and vendor guidance.
Workarounds
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule that enforces same-origin Referer or Origin header checks on requests to ays-popup-box administrative endpoints
- Temporarily deactivate the Popup box plugin on sites where an update is not yet available and the popup functionality is not business-critical
- Require administrators to use a dedicated browser profile or session for WordPress administration to reduce exposure to cross-site request payloads
- Enforce short WordPress session lifetimes and re-authentication for sensitive admin actions where supported
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
