CVE-2025-28909 in WP No-Bot Question Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/12/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in edwardw WP No-Bot Question allows Cross Site Request Forgery. This issue affects WP No-Bot Question: from n/a through 0.1.7.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2025
The cross-site request forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-28909 resides within the edwardw WP No-Bot Question plugin for WordPress systems. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the plugin's implementation of anti-bot protection mechanisms, specifically affecting versions ranging from the initial release through version 0.1.7. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the plugin's form processing functionality.
The technical exploitation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious web pages or email content that, when visited by an authenticated WordPress administrator, automatically submits requests to the vulnerable plugin's endpoints. The flaw manifests because the plugin fails to properly verify the referer header or implement anti-CSRF tokens that would normally prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. This allows attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications of plugin settings, data manipulation, or privilege escalation within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption, as it can enable attackers to compromise the entire WordPress administration interface through unauthorized plugin modifications. An attacker could potentially change plugin configurations, disable security features, or even inject malicious code through manipulated form submissions. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the WordPress site's security controls, particularly those related to automated bot detection and prevention. Given that WordPress plugins often handle sensitive administrative functions, this CSRF flaw creates a significant attack surface that could be leveraged for broader system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must include immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF implementation gaps, typically through the addition of proper anti-CSRF tokens and referer validation checks. System administrators should implement additional security measures such as network-level access controls and monitoring for unusual administrative activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and request origin verification in WordPress plugin development, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which covers credential harvesting through social engineering. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious cross-site request patterns while ensuring proper patch management processes are in place to address similar vulnerabilities in other plugins and core WordPress components.