CVE-2025-26562
📋 TL;DR
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Shambhu Patnaik RSS Filter WordPress plugin allows attackers to perform stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. When exploited, this could let attackers inject malicious scripts into WordPress sites that execute when users visit affected pages. This affects all WordPress installations using RSS Filter plugin versions up to 1.2.
💻 Affected Systems
- Shambhu Patnaik RSS Filter 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 persistent malicious scripts that steal administrator credentials, deface websites, redirect visitors to malicious sites, or install backdoors for complete site takeover.
Likely Case
Attackers trick administrators into clicking malicious links that inject JavaScript payloads, leading to session hijacking, content manipulation, or malware distribution to site visitors.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF tokens and input validation, the attack chain is broken, preventing both the CSRF and subsequent XSS exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated user (typically administrator) into clicking a malicious link or visiting a crafted page. The CSRF leads to stored XSS payload injection.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 1.2 (check for updates)
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'RSS Filter' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, deactivate and delete the plugin immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Protection
WordPressAdd nonce verification to plugin forms and AJAX requests
Requires code modification: Add wp_nonce_field() to forms and check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce() in processing
Disable Plugin
WordPress CLITemporarily deactivate the RSS Filter plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate rss-filter
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the RSS Filter plugin completely and use alternative RSS solutions
- 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 'RSS Filter' with version 1.2 or lowerCheck Version:
wp plugin get rss-filter --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is higher than 1.2 or plugin is removed. Test forms for CSRF tokens.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to RSS Filter admin endpoints without referrer headers
- JavaScript injection in RSS feed content or plugin settings
Network Indicators:
- CSRF attack patterns with missing Origin/Referer headers to plugin endpoints
- Unexpected modifications to RSS filter settings
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("rss-filter" OR "wp-admin/admin-ajax.php") AND (POST AND NOT referer=*)