CVE-2025-12901 in Asgaros Forum Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/12/2025
The Asgaros Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 3.2.1. This is due to missing nonce validation on the set_subscription_level() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to modify the subscription settings of authenticated users via a forged request granted they can trick a logged-in user into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2025
The Asgaros Forum plugin for WordPress represents a widely used community platform that enables users to create and manage discussion forums within WordPress environments. This particular vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 3.2.1, making it a significant security concern for thousands of WordPress installations that rely on this plugin for their forum functionality. The plugin's core purpose is to facilitate user interactions through discussion threads, user profiles, and subscription management features that allow users to control their notification preferences for various forum topics and categories.
The technical flaw resides in the set_subscription_level() function which lacks proper nonce validation mechanisms. Nonce validation serves as a critical security control that ensures requests originate from legitimate sources within the same session context. When this validation is absent, the function becomes vulnerable to cross-site request forgery attacks where malicious actors can craft forged requests that appear to come from legitimate users. This absence of nonce verification creates a fundamental weakness in the plugin's authentication and authorization framework, allowing unauthorized modifications to user subscription settings.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables attackers to manipulate user notification preferences in ways that could lead to information disclosure or disruption of forum services. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can modify subscription levels for authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, potentially causing users to receive excessive notifications or miss important updates. This manipulation could also be used to disrupt normal forum operations by changing user permissions or access levels, creating confusion and potentially enabling further exploitation attempts within the compromised environment.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in software applications. This classification emphasizes the fundamental flaw in the plugin's security design where proper request validation mechanisms are missing from critical functions. From an attacker's perspective, this represents a low-effort, high-impact vector that requires only social engineering to execute successfully, as demonstrated by the need to trick logged-in users into clicking malicious links. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique where attackers leverage existing user sessions to perform unauthorized actions.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that include proper nonce validation for the set_subscription_level() function. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring user subscription changes through audit logs, educating users about the risks of clicking suspicious links, and implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attempts. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins and themes should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of the WordPress ecosystem, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar attack vectors that could compromise user data and system integrity.