CVE-2023-25697 in GamiPress Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/19/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in GamiPress.This issue affects GamiPress: from n/a through 2.5.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2025
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-25697 resides within the GamiPress plugin ecosystem, a widely utilized WordPress plugin designed for gamification and reward systems. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of user sessions and authorization mechanisms. The affected versions span from an unspecified beginning through version 2.5.6, indicating that all releases within this range are potentially compromised. The vulnerability manifests as a failure to properly validate and authenticate requests originating from different domains, creating an avenue for malicious actors to exploit user sessions without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF flaw stems from inadequate token validation mechanisms within the plugin's request processing pipeline. When users interact with GamiPress functionalities, particularly those involving administrative actions or user data modifications, the system should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources through proper authentication tokens. However, the vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users, leveraging the trust relationship between the plugin and the WordPress environment. This flaw directly relates to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, and operates under the principle that web applications should not trust requests without proper verification of their source and intent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to encompass potential full system compromise and unauthorized administrative access. Attackers could exploit this flaw to perform unauthorized actions such as modifying user permissions, deleting content, or executing administrative functions within the GamiPress environment. Given that GamiPress is commonly used in educational platforms, corporate training systems, and membership sites, the exploitation of this vulnerability could result in significant data breaches, unauthorized access to user accounts, and disruption of gamified learning or engagement programs. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it affects the core functionality of user management and reward systems that are fundamental to the plugin's operation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-25697 require immediate action to update the GamiPress plugin to version 2.5.7 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the CSRF validation gaps. System administrators should conduct comprehensive security audits of their WordPress installations to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure all related plugins and themes are updated to their latest secure versions. The implementation of additional security measures such as Content Security Policy headers and proper session management practices can provide layered protection against similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring solutions to detect anomalous request patterns that might indicate CSRF attack attempts, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for credential access through phishing and social engineering attacks that leverage CSRF vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be integrated into the operational security framework to prevent similar issues from emerging in other components of the WordPress ecosystem.