CVE-2025-25075
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the WordPress 'Show notice or message on admin area' 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 admin area. WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Show notice or message on admin area 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 users to malicious sites, or performs unauthorized administrative actions when administrators view the compromised admin area.
Likely Case
Attackers create fake admin pages or emails that trick administrators into clicking links that inject malicious scripts into the WordPress admin dashboard, potentially compromising the administrator account.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF tokens and input validation, the attack chain would be broken at the CSRF stage, preventing the XSS payload from being stored.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to trick an administrator, but the technical execution is straightforward once the administrator is deceived.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 2.0
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin dashboard. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Show notice or message on admin area'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or delete and install the latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily disable the plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate show-notice-or-message-on-admin-area
Implement CSRF protection middleware
allAdd custom CSRF token validation for all admin actions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the plugin entirely and use alternative notification methods
- Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS impact
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Show notice or message on admin area' version 2.0 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get show-notice-or-message-on-admin-area --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is greater than 2.0 in WordPress admin plugins page📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php with plugin-specific actions
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations in WordPress debug logs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing malicious script patterns in POST parameters to admin endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("admin-ajax.php" OR "admin-post.php") AND ("show-notice" OR "snoma") AND (POST)