CVE-2025-3099 in Advanced Search by My Solr Server Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/02/2025
The Advanced Search by My Solr Server plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 2.0.5. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the 'MySolrServerSettings' page. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update settings and inject malicious web scripts via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/02/2025
The Advanced Search by My Solr Server plugin for WordPress presents a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that affects all versions up to and including 2.0.5. This vulnerability resides within the plugin's administrative settings page known as 'MySolrServerSettings' where proper nonce validation mechanisms are either absent or incorrectly implemented. The absence of robust anti-CSRF protections creates a significant security gap that malicious actors can exploit to manipulate the plugin's configuration without proper authorization. This flaw fundamentally undermines the integrity of the WordPress administrative interface and exposes sites running this plugin to potential compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to validate nonce tokens when processing administrative requests to modify search server settings. Nonce validation represents a fundamental security mechanism designed to prevent unauthorized actions from being executed on behalf of authenticated users. When a nonce is properly implemented, it ensures that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions and cannot be forged by external parties. The missing or flawed nonce validation in this plugin's settings page creates an attack vector where unauthenticated adversaries can construct malicious requests that appear to come from legitimate administrative users, thereby bypassing the normal authentication and authorization checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes and could enable attackers to inject malicious web scripts into the plugin's settings interface. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could modify the Solr server connection parameters, potentially redirecting search queries to malicious endpoints or injecting harmful JavaScript code that would execute in the context of administrator sessions. This creates a persistent threat vector that could allow attackers to maintain access to compromised sites, harvest sensitive data, or use the compromised plugin as a launching point for further attacks against the broader WordPress installation. The vulnerability particularly affects sites where administrators may inadvertently click on malicious links or visit compromised websites that trigger the forged requests.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that implement proper nonce validation mechanisms, as this represents the most direct and effective remediation approach. Organizations should also implement additional security measures including regular security auditing of WordPress plugins, monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes, and maintaining comprehensive backup strategies to quickly restore systems in case of successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege that should be maintained in all administrative interfaces. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious administrative requests to detect potential exploitation attempts. Given the nature of this vulnerability, administrators should exercise extreme caution when clicking on external links and ensure that all plugin updates are performed through verified channels to prevent supply chain attacks that could exploit similar weaknesses in the WordPress ecosystem.