CVE-2025-60164
📋 TL;DR
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the NewsMAN NewsmanApp WordPress plugin allows attackers to perform stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. This affects WordPress sites using NewsmanApp versions up to 2.7.7. Attackers can trick authenticated administrators into executing malicious actions that inject persistent scripts.
💻 Affected Systems
- NewsMAN NewsmanApp 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, takes over the WordPress site, or redirects visitors to malicious sites, potentially compromising the entire website and user data.
Likely Case
Attackers create fake admin pages or forms that trick logged-in administrators into executing actions that inject persistent malicious scripts into the site, affecting all visitors.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF tokens and input validation, the vulnerability would be prevented, requiring attackers to find alternative methods for exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link or visiting a crafted page. CSRF to XSS chain makes this relatively straightforward for attackers.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.7.8 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find NewsmanApp and click 'Update Now' if available. 4. Alternatively, download version 2.7.8+ from WordPress.org and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Temporary Plugin Deactivation
allDisable the NewsmanApp plugin until patched to prevent exploitation.
wp plugin deactivate newsmanapp
CSRF Protection via .htaccess
linuxAdd basic CSRF protection headers at web server level (limited effectiveness).
Header set X-Frame-Options "DENY"
Header set Content-Security-Policy "frame-ancestors 'none'"
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the NewsmanApp plugin completely if patching isn't possible.
- Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS impact.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for NewsmanApp version. If version is 2.7.7 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get newsmanapp --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the plugin version shows 2.7.8 or higher in WordPress admin.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to NewsmanApp admin endpoints without referrer headers
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations in WordPress logs
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected iframe or script injections in NewsmanApp-related pages
- Traffic patterns showing CSRF exploitation attempts
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "newsmanapp" AND ("csrf" OR "invalid nonce")