CVE-2023-25987 in My YouTube Channel Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/22/2023
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Aleksandar Urošević My YouTube Channel plugin <= 3.23.3 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2025
The CVE-2023-25987 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the My YouTube Channel plugin developed by Aleksandar Urošević. This vulnerability affects all plugin versions up to and including 3.23.3, exposing WordPress websites that utilize this plugin to potential unauthorized actions. The issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper anti-CSRF mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to exploit the weakness through carefully crafted requests that could be executed without user consent. The vulnerability specifically targets the plugin's administrative functions, potentially enabling attackers to perform unauthorized operations within the WordPress admin interface.
The technical flaw manifests in the absence of anti-CSRF tokens within the plugin's administrative forms and endpoints. When users access administrative pages or perform actions such as updating settings, managing content, or modifying plugin configurations, the plugin fails to validate the authenticity of the requests. This omission creates a condition where an attacker can craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the WordPress system, as they lack the required security tokens that would normally verify the request originates from an authenticated user. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically impacts the plugin's handling of user sessions and request validation processes, making it particularly dangerous for WordPress installations that rely on this plugin for YouTube channel integration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it could potentially lead to complete administrative compromise of affected WordPress sites. Attackers could leverage this weakness to modify plugin settings, inject malicious content, or even escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects a plugin that likely handles sensitive YouTube integration data, potentially exposing user credentials, channel configurations, or other confidential information. Organizations using vulnerable versions of this plugin face significant risk of unauthorized modifications to their website content and potential data breaches, especially if the plugin is used in conjunction with other WordPress security vulnerabilities.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate upgrading to the latest version of the My YouTube Channel plugin where the CSRF protection has been implemented. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring for unauthorized administrative actions, implementing web application firewalls, and ensuring proper access controls are in place. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts, as exploitation requires the attacker to leverage existing administrative privileges. Organizations should also consider implementing proper input validation, session management, and request origin verification mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components of their WordPress installations. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments are crucial for maintaining the integrity of WordPress environments that utilize third-party plugins.