CVE-2025-58676: Horizontal Slider CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-58676 Overview

CVE-2025-58676 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the extendyourweb HORIZONTAL SLIDER WordPress plugin that enables Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The flaw affects all versions of the plugin up to and including 2.4. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when triggered by an authenticated administrator, injects persistent JavaScript payloads into the WordPress site. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-352] (Cross-Site Request Forgery) and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.1. Successful exploitation requires user interaction but no prior authentication on the target site, exposing site visitors and administrators to script-based attacks.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables persistent JavaScript injection into the WordPress administrative interface, allowing session theft, administrative account takeover, and malicious redirects affecting site visitors.

Affected Products

extendyourweb HORIZONTAL SLIDER WordPress plugin
Plugin versions from n/a through 2.4 (inclusive)
WordPress sites with the horizontal-slider plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-22 - CVE-2025-58676 published to NVD
2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-58676

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability combines two weaknesses: missing CSRF protection and inadequate output encoding. State-changing endpoints in the HORIZONTAL SLIDER plugin fail to validate WordPress nonces or verify request origin. An attacker hosts a malicious page containing a forged form or JavaScript that submits a request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. When a logged-in administrator visits the attacker-controlled page, the browser sends the request with valid session cookies. The plugin then stores attacker-supplied input without sanitization, persisting JavaScript in the database. The stored payload executes whenever an administrator or visitor renders the affected page or dashboard component.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of CSRF token validation on plugin actions that modify slider configuration, combined with missing input sanitization on stored fields. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() primitives to defend against CSRF, but the plugin code paths through version 2.4 do not enforce them. Stored slider content is rendered without escaping through functions such as esc_html() or wp_kses_post().

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a phishing link or embeds a malicious iframe targeting an authenticated WordPress administrator. The forged request modifies slider content with a script payload. The injected script executes in the administrator's browser context on subsequent page loads, enabling session hijacking, privilege escalation through account creation, or pivoting into the WordPress REST API.

No verified public exploit code is available for this vulnerability. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58676

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected <script> tags, onerror handlers, or obfuscated JavaScript stored within HORIZONTAL SLIDER configuration entries in the wp_options or wp_postmeta tables.
New or modified WordPress administrator accounts created shortly after an administrator visited an external link.
Outbound requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains while viewing slider-related admin pages.
HTTP POST requests to plugin endpoints lacking a valid _wpnonce parameter in access logs.

Detection Strategies

Inspect slider configuration records for HTML or JavaScript content that does not match legitimate administrator input patterns.
Review WordPress access logs for cross-origin Referer headers on plugin administrative endpoints.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags state-changing requests to horizontal-slider admin handlers without nonce parameters.
Correlate administrator session activity with subsequent privileged actions occurring within seconds of dashboard page loads.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to capture all plugin option and post meta changes.
Monitor file integrity for the wp-content/plugins/horizontal-slider/ directory.
Alert on creation of administrator-role users outside approved change windows.
Track Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script execution on /wp-admin/ pages.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58676

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate and remove the HORIZONTAL SLIDER plugin until a patched version above 2.4 is released by the vendor.
Audit all slider entries and wp_options records for injected scripts and remove malicious content.
Force a password reset for all WordPress administrator accounts and invalidate active sessions.
Review recently created users and scheduled tasks (wp_cron) for unauthorized additions.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no fixed version is identified in the advisory. The vulnerability affects all releases up to and including version 2.4. Monitor the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report and the WordPress plugin repository for an official update from extendyourweb.

Workarounds

Restrict access to /wp-admin/ by IP allowlist at the web server or reverse proxy layer.
Deploy a WAF rule that requires a valid _wpnonce parameter on POST requests to horizontal-slider admin endpoints.
Apply a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts in the WordPress administrative interface.
Require administrators to use isolated browser profiles that do not share cookies with general browsing sessions.

bash

# Configuration example: nginx rule to block cross-origin POSTs to the plugin
location ~* /wp-admin/admin\.php {
    if ($request_method = POST) {
        set $block 1;
    }
    if ($http_referer !~* "^https?://your-domain\.com/") {
        set $block "${block}1";
    }
    if ($block = 11) {
        return 403;
    }
}