CVE-2025-23698
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the WP Custom Google Search 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 websites. All WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Custom Google Search 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 would inject scripts to steal session cookies or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially compromising user accounts.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF tokens and input validation, the attack chain would be broken at the initial CSRF stage, preventing the stored XSS.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to trick an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link. The CSRF leads to stored XSS payload injection.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 1.0 (check plugin repository for latest)
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'WP Custom Google Search'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or delete and install latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
WordPressTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate wp-custom-google-search
Implement CSRF Protection
WordPressAdd CSRF tokens to all plugin forms if customizing is possible
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the WP Custom Google Search plugin completely
- 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 'WP Custom Google Search' version 1.0 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get wp-custom-google-search --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is greater than 1.0 in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to plugin admin endpoints without referrer headers
- JavaScript injection patterns in plugin settings
Network Indicators:
- CSRF attempts with malicious payloads in POST parameters
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("wp-custom-google-search" OR "custom_google_search") AND (POST AND NOT referer=*)