CVE-2025-23442
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the Shockingly Big IE6 Warning WordPress plugin allows attackers to perform Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks that lead to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). Attackers can trick authenticated administrators into executing malicious actions that inject persistent scripts into the website. All WordPress sites using versions 1.6.3 and earlier of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Shockingly Big IE6 Warning WordPress 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, redirects visitors to malicious sites, or takes full control of the WordPress site.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts that display unwanted content, redirect users, or steal session cookies from visitors.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and content security policies, the attack surface is significantly reduced, though the vulnerability still exists.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to trick an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link while logged in.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 1.6.3
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Shockingly Big IE6 Warning' and click 'Update Now'. 4. If no update is available, deactivate and delete the plugin immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Protection
WordPressAdd nonce verification to all plugin forms and actions
Requires code modification: Add wp_nonce_field() to forms and wp_verify_nonce() checks to form processing
Content Security Policy
allImplement CSP headers to restrict script execution
Add to .htaccess: Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
Or use WordPress security plugins to implement CSP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Deactivate and delete the Shockingly Big IE6 Warning plugin immediately
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block CSRF attempts and XSS payloads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Shockingly Big IE6 Warning' version 1.6.3 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin list --name='shockingly-big-ie6-warning' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After update, verify plugin version is higher than 1.6.3 in WordPress admin > Plugins📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php with plugin-specific actions
- Multiple failed nonce verification attempts in WordPress debug logs
Network Indicators:
- Cross-origin requests to WordPress admin endpoints without proper referrer headers
- Suspicious JavaScript payloads in HTTP POST parameters
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("admin-ajax.php" OR "admin-post.php") AND ("shockingly-big-ie6-warning" OR "ie6_warning")