CVE-2025-22685
📋 TL;DR
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the WordPress Tags to Keywords plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts via stored XSS. This affects WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of the plugin, potentially compromising site visitors and administrators.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Tags to Keywords plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could inject malicious JavaScript that steals administrator credentials, defaces websites, or installs backdoors when administrators view affected pages.
Likely Case
Attackers trick administrators into performing actions that inject malicious scripts, which then execute in visitors' browsers to steal cookies or session tokens.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and content security policies, the attack would fail or have limited impact.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.0.2 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Tags to Keywords' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update, deactivate and delete plugin.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate tags-to-keywords
Implement CSRF tokens
allAdd CSRF protection to plugin forms if custom patching.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove plugin entirely and use alternative keyword management solutions
- Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS impact
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Tags to Keywords' version 1.0.1 or earlier.Check Version:
wp plugin get tags-to-keywords --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.0.2 or later in WordPress admin plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or plugin endpoints
- Administrator accounts performing unexpected plugin configuration changes
Network Indicators:
- Requests containing malicious script patterns in form submissions
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("tags-to-keywords" OR "admin-ajax.php") AND (POST OR "wp_nonce")