CVE-2025-22703 in Forge Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/03/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in manuelvicedo Forge – Front-End Page Builder allows Stored XSS. This issue affects Forge – Front-End Page Builder: from n/a through 1.4.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2025
The CVE-2025-22703 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the Forge – Front-End Page Builder plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions ranging from an unspecified initial version through 1.4.6. This vulnerability constitutes a cross-site request forgery issue that enables attackers to execute stored cross-site scripting attacks, creating a dangerous chain of exploitation that can compromise user sessions and potentially lead to full system compromise. The flaw exists within the plugin's handling of user input and request processing mechanisms, where insufficient validation and protection measures allow malicious actors to inject persistent malicious scripts into the application's data storage.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate CSRF token validation and insufficient input sanitization within the Forge plugin's administrative interfaces. When legitimate users interact with the plugin's features, particularly those involving content creation or modification, the system fails to properly verify the authenticity of requests originating from authorized users. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the server, thereby bypassing the plugin's security controls. The stored XSS component emerges when user-supplied content containing malicious scripts is persisted in the database, subsequently executed whenever other users view the affected content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited by attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious payloads that target authenticated users, potentially leading to complete compromise of WordPress installations when combined with other exploitation techniques. The stored nature of the XSS attack means that once the malicious content is injected, it continues to affect users until manually removed from the database, creating an ongoing security risk that persists long after the initial attack vector is established.
Organizations using the affected Forge plugin version should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest available version, which typically includes proper CSRF token implementation and enhanced input validation. Security measures should also encompass monitoring for suspicious administrative activities, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests, and conducting thorough security audits of the plugin's functionality. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1548.001 for privilege escalation through the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities. Additionally, this issue demonstrates the importance of implementing proper input sanitization and validation mechanisms as outlined in OWASP Top Ten category A03:2021 - Injection, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly validated and escaped before being stored or executed within the application environment.