CVE-2023-25994
📋 TL;DR
This CSRF vulnerability in the Publish to Schedule WordPress plugin allows attackers to trick authenticated administrators into performing unintended actions. Attackers can create malicious requests that, when executed by logged-in users, could modify plugin settings or perform other administrative functions. WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Publish to Schedule plugin
📦 What is this software?
Publish To Schedule by Publish To Schedule Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could gain administrative control over the WordPress site by tricking administrators into executing malicious requests, potentially leading to complete site compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers could modify plugin settings, schedule posts maliciously, or perform other administrative actions without the user's knowledge.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and user awareness, the risk is limited to users who click malicious links while authenticated.
🎯 Exploit Status
CSRF attacks typically require social engineering to trick authenticated users into clicking malicious links.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.4.3 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Publish to Schedule' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress repository and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate publish-to-schedule
Implement CSRF Protection
allAdd CSRF tokens to WordPress forms using security plugins
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks only
- Educate users about CSRF risks and safe browsing practices
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for Publish to Schedule versionCheck Version:
wp plugin get publish-to-schedule --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 4.4.3 or higher in WordPress admin📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual plugin configuration changes
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations
Network Indicators:
- POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php without referrer headers
- Requests with unexpected plugin parameters
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (uri_path="*admin-ajax.php*" AND (plugin="publish-to-schedule" OR parameters="*publish_to_schedule*"))🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/publish-to-schedule/wordpress-publish-to-schedule-plugin-4-4-2-cross-site-request-forgery-csrf-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/publish-to-schedule/wordpress-publish-to-schedule-plugin-4-4-2-cross-site-request-forgery-csrf-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
